Introduction

After the death of her Japanese American mother, sixty-four-year-old Anne Kuroda Duppstadt finds the courage to confront the toxic legacy of her father, a famous artist and cruel narcissist. When a former art professor invites her to his island art studio, she begins pursuing her lifelong dream to become an artist in her own right. But the needs of her family tug at her heart. Her thirty-two-year old daughter s love life is falling apart, and Annie s husband, facing retirement, struggles with depression, leading her to conclude, There is a glass ceiling for women...and it s made out of the people we love.

The Love Ceiling draws readers into the soul of a universal theme for women: the pull between family and creative self-expression. It is the story of a daughter, a wife, a mother and grandmother, and a journey into creativity. A 2009 NEXT GENERATION INDIE FICTION WINNER.

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Excerpt

1
ANNIE
The exhibition's title was splashed in blazing letters across the huge banners surrounding the entrance of the museum. ALEXANDER GUNTHER: 1947-2007: A Retrospective. I felt queasy the minute I saw my father's name and it struck me as ironic that as often as I toyed with the idea of inventing some ailment, something harmless and quickly curable, which would give me an excuse to skip his opening tonight, now that we were here-I actually did feel ill. Stomach cramps, which had been dormant for decades, had been my historic response to him and I could only think of the old warning: be careful what you wish for. ... view entire excerpt...

Discussion Questions

1. When Cass returns home and Annie has to give up her studio she says, "There is a glass ceiling for women and it's made out of the people we love." What do you think she means by this? Do you agree with Annie? What about the constraints for women imposed by society?

2. Both Jack and Cass refer to Annie's work at Woodside as "her little part-time job." Do you think this is a reflection of how society in general views women who work part time? Do you think Jack and Cass each have different reasons why they characterize it this way?

3. Annie and Cass disagree about the concept of unconditional love. Why do you think Annie becomes annoyed when Cass brings it up? What are your thoughts about unconditional love? Do we have the right to expect it from another adult? Annie thinks love has conditions, the condition that every effort will be made to treat the other with kindness and respect. Do you agree with her?
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4. Annie talks with her friend Martha Jane about Jack's fear of retirement, and his fear of losing his identity without his work. Do you think fears about loss of identity occur in women who have had careers outside the home? Martha Jane refers to women feeling invaded when their husbands retire. Do you think this is a common fear? Are women likely to worry about feeling "taken over" when a husband begins spending a lot of time at home?

5. In spite of Jack's growing acceptance of Annie's commitment to art, Annie still struggles with feeling she should get home to make dinner for him every night. Do you think this feeling is typical for women Annie's age or women of any age? For women who experience this sense of obligation how do you think it might influence their creativity?

6. How does what we learn of Annie's mother Akiko make her seem different from Martha Jane Morrison? How much of a role do you think culture and the history of Japanese Americans may have played in Akiko's personality? In what way do you think it might be difficult for women to learn to stand up for themselves when they've had a timid mother?

7. Annie was born with talent but her father's abusive behavior robbed her of the confidence to believe in it. Do you think she could have overcome her self-doubt without Fred's encouragement and Jack's support? Do you think creativity can thrive without encouragement?

8. Jack feels threatened when Annie tells him about wanting to work at Fred's studio. Do you think this is a reflection of Jack's personality or the fact that he's struggling with his own career? Or do you think it reflects a fear that arises naturally for most people when a person's spouse or a partner moves in a direction that doesn't include him or her?

9. Cass tells Annie that she felt she wasn't allowed to fail, and when she compares Annie's expectations to the expectations Mrs. Choi had for Lena, Cass thinks Annie expected her to "have it all." She was expected to have a great career, travels, adventures, marriage and children. Do you think Cass was accurate in assuming this? Did feminism bring a pressure on young women from their mothers or society to have it all? Do you think it's possible to have it all?

10. When Annie remembers her first marriage she talks about the classic but doomed dance where a woman chooses to pair with a person who psychologically resembles a parent with whom there has been a conflicted relationship, and it always turns out badly. Do you think Cass was influenced by her family relationships in her choice of Richard? Do you think Cass should have tried harder to make the relationship work when Richard wanted her back?

11. Annie thinks men aren't as well equipped to care for young children as women, and would "like it both ways" when it comes to marital fidelity. Martha Jane thinks women adapt better to retirement, and that their ability to have close friends helps them. Do all these women have an overly negative view of men? Do you agree with them on any of their conclusions? Is there a generational difference in how they see men and women?

12. Annie realizes that she won't be able to help her father until there is a reckoning. She then decides to confront him because she assumes it might be more painful not to. Do you think she did the right thing?

13. Martha Jane says there can't be forgiveness without deep remorse on the part of the person who has caused injury. Do you agree? How much do children owe their parents?

14. The epigraph, which precedes the novel, is a quote from Anaïs Nin: "Then the time came when the risk it took to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom." What does this mean to you? Does it apply to Annie's situation?

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