65 pages • 2 hours read
Elizabeth StroutTell Me Everything
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2024A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Book Club Questions
General Impressions
Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.
1. What did you think of including a murder investigation in the book, a departure from Strout’s usual style?
2. Discuss the simplicity of Strout’s writing style and her propensity for understated observations that focus on the nuances of human relationships.
3. Discuss how the book fits into the Amgash, Illinois series context and the intersection of familiar characters from Olive Kitteridge, My Name is Lucy Barton, and The Burgess Boys. If you have not read these works, what other novels would you compare this one to?
Personal Reflection and Connection
Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with personal experiences.
1. Reflect on the characters’ desires to impact the world. What does the word “legacy” mean to you?
2. Do you agree with Lucy and Olive’s conclusion that a person’s life must be documented for it to matter? Analyze their “unrecorded life” theory.
3. Discuss how different types of love are explored through the various characters. How do the characters’ experiences compare to the varying forms of love you’ve experienced, especially throughout different seasons of life?
4. Consider the world Strout creates with this series and these characters. Do they remind you of people you know or familiar spaces you frequent in your community?
Societal and Cultural Context
Examine the book’s relevance to societal issues, historical events, or cultural themes.
1. How does the novel emphasize the importance of community and relationships as an antidote to isolation? What real-world interventions or solutions does this portrayal suggest?
2. Strout’s previous novel, Lucy by the Sea, is set during the 2020 pandemic. Analyze how Tell Me Everything portrays life in the post-COVID-19 pandemic world.
Literary Analysis
Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and symbolism.
1. Discuss how the opening paragraph establishes the narrative voice. Analyze the omniscient yet intimate narration style exemplified by the narrator’s frequent direct addresses to the reader. What effect does this have, and how does it support the work’s meaning?
2. Analyze Bob Burgess as a central character and symbolic presence in the story. The opening establishes that the book is about Bob. Yet, how is it also about everyone at the same time?
3. Discuss the setting of Crosby, Maine, and its significance to the major characters. How does it mediate the relationships among them?
4. Explore how Strout’s characters reflect the tension between stagnation and change.
5. Discuss Strout’s intentional use of white space on the page and the asterisk. What other stylistic or formatting choices did you notice, and what might be their significance?
6. What do Bob and Lucy’s walks symbolize?
Creative Engagement
Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.
1. Several of Strout’s novels from this series have been adapted for the screen and stage. Imagine this novel brought to life on the screen: Which actors would you cast as the main characters, and why?
2. Imagine yourself writing a memoir containing all your life’s small yet meaningful moments. What would you title your memoir, and why?
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