The Book Club for Troublesome Women
The women in this book come together because of their shared love of doing this extremely dangerous activity: discussing books.
What is reading?
This is the occupation that makes the protagonist particularly skilled at putting her thoughts into carefully chosen words.
What is writing?
The book club is made up of women who are far from fitting the stereotype of being perfectly behaved, polite members of society — hence this word in the title.
What is troublesome?
The majority of this novel is told through this very old-school form of communication — no texting, no DMs, not even a “k” in sight.
What are letters?
The women aren't just discussing literature; their book club becomes a place where they can do this with one another — something many of them desperately need.
What is confide / share secrets?
Katherine, the novel's central character, has spent much of her life communicating with people through these rather than necessarily having them sitting across from her.
What are correspondents?
At some point, the ladies discover that their seemingly innocent book club is connected to something considerably more dramatic than arguing over whether a book deserved four or five stars.
What is a murder / crime?
Katherine's correspondence with this particular person becomes especially significant and forces her to confront parts of her past she might otherwise have left alone.
Who is Ivy?
Forget “What did you think of the ending?” This is the much more important question the women ultimately have to deal with as their book club gets increasingly complicated.
What is who can be trusted?
The novel ultimately asks readers to consider how a relationship can become deeply meaningful even when the people involved have never shared this seemingly obvious part of a traditional friendship.
What is physical proximity / being together in person?