Introduction

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Excerpt

CHAPTER ONE

The Parsons Valentine dining room—affectionately known as the Jury Box—resembled nothing so much as a high school cafeteria, writ large. We were all older, sure, with expensive haircuts, and finely tailored suits. The food was a lot better, and it was served on fine china, classic white with a platinum border. And then there was the view. Instead of a track or a football field, our windows overlooked the grand expanse of Fifth Avenue and Central Park. No trophy cases or spirit banners, either, just a vast Ellsworth Kelly painting and a few signed Chuck Close prints adorning the otherwise stark white walls. But these were just trophies of a different sort. ... view entire excerpt...

Discussion Questions

1. Ingrid’s parents don’t make many actual appearances in the novel, but there is an extended flashback to Ingrid’s childhood. Why was that particular early visit to New York so formative for Ingrid, and how do you think her family background and cultural upbringing influenced her ultimate career and personal choices in life? What different choices do you suspect she might have made had she had a different family upbringing?

2. Although Ingrid is acutely sensitive to slights and exclusions at the law firm, it’s clear she has her own prejudices. What are some of the stereotypes Ingrid herself harbors, and do you think she learns to change any of these views during the course of the novel?

3. Ingrid and her best friend, Rachel, have chosen very different paths over the course of the last few years. How do these different choices challenge and affect their friendship and how does their relationship evolve over the course of the novel?

4. Ingrid describes a former firm colleague, Zhang Liu, from whom she desperately tried to differentiate herself, because Zhang was perceived to be “too Asian.” Is this a challenge faced by all women as well as people of color – the need to confirm and assimilate into white male culture, especially in the workplace?

5. Was Murph’s romantic relationship with Ingrid ever “authentic”? If circumstances had been different, or if they had met in a different context, do you think it would have been possible for the relationship to work?

6. Is the ending of the novel satisfying? Do you wish Ingrid had made another personal or professional choice?

Weblinks

»	Author Helen Wan's web site
»	Publisher's Book Info
»	Follow Helen Wan on Facebook
»	CNN interviews Helen Wan

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