53 pages • 1 hour read
Jason RekulakThe Last One at the Wedding
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
Content Warning: This section of the guide discusses addiction.
Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.
1. Did you find the plot twists engaging, and were you surprised by what you learned about Maggie, Aidan, and Errol?
2. Which of the characters did you find the most or least compelling and why?
3. Compare this book to other domestic thrillers. Do they share similar plotlines, themes, symbols, and motifs?
Personal Reflection and Connection
Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.
1. How did you relate to this novel’s depiction of parent-child relationships?
2. Discuss this novel’s depiction of Tammy and Frank’s relationship. How would you characterize their sibling bond and how does it remind you of your own experiences?
3. Discuss Frank’s work ethic. Do you relate to his views on class, labor, and identity?
4. Does Aidan’s experience as an outsider in his family strike a chord with you? How do you relate to Aidan as a character?
Societal and Cultural Context
Examine the book’s relevance to societal issues, historical events, or cultural themes.
1. How is this novel in dialogue with the ethical implications of emerging technologies and the tech industry as a whole?
2. How does this novel depict wealth and affluence? What kind of argument does the author make about the relationship between money and ethics?
3. How does this novel humanize addiction and substance use disorders?
Literary Analysis
Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and symbolism.
1. How does Osprey Cove function symbolically within the story? What does it represent and how does it help the author to discuss themes related to class and affluence?
2. What broader argument does the author make about the relationship between ethics and parenting? Which characters or moments from the narrative help him to do so?
3. Other than spiders, which of the novel’s symbols help the author to create an atmosphere of tension and suspense?
4. Discuss Aidan’s artwork. What is its significance?
5. How does class shape identity in this novel?
Creative Engagement
Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.
1. If this book were made into a film, whom would you cast in the lead roles and why?
2. Imagine what a sequel to this novel might look like. What would Maggie’s character do when she got out of prison, and how might she and Frank try to repair their relationship?
3. Generate a Spotify playlist that captures the mood of this novel, choosing songs for key moments and characters. Which artists and songs would you pick to represent Frank, and how might they differ, both lyrically and in genre, to those you’d pick to represent Aidan or Maggie?
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