BKMT READING GUIDES
The Girls at 17 Swann Street: A Novel
by Yara Zgheib
Hardcover : 384 pages
169 clubs reading this now
14 members have read this book
*A BookMovement Group Read*
**A People Pick for Best New Books**
Yara Zgheib’s poetic and poignant debut novel is a haunting portrait of a young woman’s struggle with anorexia on an intimate journey to reclaim her life.
The chocolate went first, then the cheese, the fries, the ice ...
Introduction
*A BookMovement Group Read*
**A People Pick for Best New Books**
Yara Zgheib’s poetic and poignant debut novel is a haunting portrait of a young woman’s struggle with anorexia on an intimate journey to reclaim her life.
The chocolate went first, then the cheese, the fries, the ice cream. The bread was more difficult, but if she could just lose a little more weight, perhaps she would make the soloists’ list. Perhaps if she were lighter, danced better, tried harder, she would be good enough. Perhaps if she just ran for one more mile, lost just one more pound.
Anna Roux was a professional dancer who followed the man of her dreams from Paris to Missouri. There, alone with her biggest fears – imperfection, failure, loneliness – she spirals down anorexia and depression till she weighs a mere eighty-eight pounds. Forced to seek treatment, she is admitted as a patient at 17 Swann Street, a peach pink house where pale, fragile women with life-threatening eating disorders live. Women like Emm, the veteran; quiet Valerie; Julia, always hungry. Together, they must fight their diseases and face six meals a day.
Every bite causes anxiety. Every flavor induces guilt. And every step Anna takes toward recovery will require strength, endurance, and the support of the girls at 17 Swann Street.
Discussion Questions
1. At the end of the novel Anna says she is the luckiest girl in the world. Why do you think she says that? Is her journey really luck—or something else entirely?2. Just like a fragrance can evoke memories, so does the taste of certain foods—and sometimes the memories can be wonderful or unpleasant. What examples can you think of?
3. Eating disorders are one of many maladaptive coping mechanisms people use to face stress, sadness, anxiety, and other unpleasant emotions. What other examples can you think of?
4. How does Anna’s understanding of “happiness” change between the beginning of the novel and its end?
5. Explore the different types of friendships Anna develops with the other girls at 17 Swann Street.
6. Matthias, Anna’s sister, and Anna’s father each react very differently to her disease. Explore these different reactions.
7. What would the story look like if Matthias was narrating it?
8. Society has only recently begun to speak out about mental illness. Why are books like The Girls at 17 Swann Street important?
Suggested by Members
Notes From the Author to the Bookclub
About the author Yara Zgheib is a Fulbright scholar with a Masters degree in Security Studies from Georgetown University and a PhD in International Affairs in Diplomacy from Centre D'études Diplomatiques et Stratégiques in Paris. She is fluent in English, Arabic, French, and Spanish. Yara is a writer for several US and European magazines, including The Huffington Post, The Four Seasons Magazine, A Woman’s Paris, The Idea List, and Holiday Magazine. She writes on culture, art, travel, and philosophy on her blog, "Aristotle at Afternoon Tea"Book Club Recommendations
Recommended to book clubs by 36 of 38 members.
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