BKMT READING GUIDES
While My Sister Sleeps
by Barbara Delinsky
Hardcover : 326 pages
6 clubs reading this now
4 members have read this book
Introduction
Molly and Robin Snow are sisters, and like all sisters they share a deep bond that sustains them through good times and bad. Their careers are flourishing—Molly is a horticulturist and Robin is a world-class runner—and they are in the prime of their lives. So when Molly receives the news that Robin has suffered a massive heart attack, she couldn’t be more shocked. At the hospital, the Snow family receives a grim prognosis: Robin may never regain consciousness. Molly’s parents fold under the devastating circumstances, and her brother retreats into the cool reserve that is shattering his own family. It’s up to Molly to make the tough decisions, and she soon makes discoveries that destroy some of her most cherished beliefs about the sister she thought she knew. Once again New York Times bestselling author Barbara Delinsky brings us a masterful family portrait, filled with thought-provoking ideas about the nature of life itself, how emotions affect the decisions we make, and how letting go can be the hardest thing to do and the greatest expression of love all at the same time.
Excerpt
Chapter 1There were days when Molly Snow loved her sister, but this wasn't one. She had risen at dawn to be Robin's water-bearer, only to learn that Robin had changed her mind and decided to do her long run in the late afternoon, fully expecting Molly to accommodate her. ... view entire excerpt...
Discussion Questions
How would you characterize the relationship between Robin, Molly, and Chris? Does Chris play a different role because he is a son rather than a daughter? How does the Snow family compare to yours?2. How is Molly transformed during the week after Robin’s heart attack? What does Molly discover about herself, and about the range of emotions she and her sister evoked in each other?
3. What is at the root of Kathryn’s controlling behavior? How did her past, including her experience with her own parents and her art teacher, influence her personality? Who has more power in the marriage: Kathryn or Charlie?
4. Discuss Snow Hill and what it means to Molly’s family. What makes the Snows good at nurturing plants but not as good at nurturing one another? What kinds of healing does Molly experience through her work at Snow Hill?
5. What do Charlie’s religious beliefs say about him, and about the differences between him and the other members of his family?
6. As parents, what family memories do Chris and Erin create for their daughter, Chloe? How does their approach to parenting compare to Charlie and Kathryn’s?
7. How does Alexis’s illness shape the novel’s storyline? What parallels exist between her situation and Kathryn’s state of denial?
8.
How much is Nick entitled to know, as a reporter and as a friend of Robin’s? Is Robin entitled to less privacy because she is a public figure, with a wide circle of fans who are concerned about her?
9. What determines whether Liz will be a threat to Chris’s marriage? How is Liz’s role in the novel different from Peter’s? How much does the past matter in a marriage, especially events that took place before the wedding?
10. What was it like to read Robin’s journal after hearing so much about her? Captured in her own words, how does her life compare to other people’s impressions of her?
11.
What does Kathryn have to do in order to let go? What does it take to help her see the truth about her circumstances, and Robin’s?
12. How is Marjorie’s family affected by her dementia? What do the connections between Marjorie, Kathryn, and Molly show us about mothers and daughters? What traits, emotional and otherwise, are passed from one generation to the next in While My Sister Sleeps?
13. Why is David willing to look out for Alexis? What makes him such a caring teacher? What makes him such a tough opponent against Nick?
14. Ultimately, what legacy does Robin leave for her family? What intangible gifts does Molly inherit from her sister?
15.
Discuss the medical issues raised by Robin’s story. Is it unethical to keep a child from knowing the identity of his or her biological parents? How would you have handled the end-of-life-care questions raised by Robin’s heart attack?
16. How do secrets affect the characters in While My Sister Sleeps, and in Barbara Delinsky’s other novels? When is it best to let a secret remain hidden? When is it best to reveal the truth?
Notes From the Author to the Bookclub
Dear Friend, I must be a horrible person. Why else woud I spend my free time dreaming up family crises? I create characters I love, and then subject them to trial by fire. Take my new book, While My Sister Sleeps. The Snow family owns a hugely successful plant and tree nursery, but its energy lies in oldest daughter Robin, an elite marathoner on track for the Olympics. When Robin suffers a heart attack during training, the family is paralyzed. But there are crucial decisions to be made - and no one to speak for Robin but Molly, her youngest sister and greatest rival. It is up to Molly to find out what Robin would want them to do. But what if her search turns up unexpected - and unwelcome - surprises? You've turned readers on to my books in the past; I can't thank you enough for that. I can also promise that While My Sister Sleeps won't disappoint. Chock full of meaty with themes for individual readers and book groups alike, it may be one of my most uplifting stories. For more information, plus a multi-media trailer on this new book, please visit and explore www.barbaradelinsky.com, with my eternal thanks. Ever truly, Barbara DelinskyBook Club Recommendations
Recommended to book clubs by 3 of 4 members.
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