Introduction

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Excerpt

one



It was a good day, with all good things. It began with something my daughter and I used to say to each other, until about a year ago, when her eye-rolling adolescent angst took over and she refused our Saturday-morning ritual. But today, when Gwen turned to me and said, “Let’s do something fun,” I jumped into her request as if it were a languid lake on a summer afternoon. My younger sister, Willa, wasn’t far behind. ... view entire excerpt...

Discussion Questions

1. The book opens with the narrator, Eve, telling us about
her eye color changing. In what ways was this event a
premonition of the other changes in Eve’s life?

2.Let’s talk about the title of this book—
The Stories
We Tell
. What do you believe the author means by
“stories?” What are the stories we tell in a relationship
as we come to know each other?

3.The art and craft of letterpress is an integral part of the
story. What do you think about Eve’s obsession with
typography, letterpress machines, and fonts? How does
it fit in with the notion of “stories?”

4.Creativity and art are healing balms for both Willa and
Eve in different ways. How do you believe working has
helped Eve and singing/songwriting has helped Willa?
What is it about the creative process that helps people
to heal?

5.Willa has a traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), which affects
her memory and her emotions. How do you think this
injury affected Eve’s willingness to believe Willa’s version
of that night? Were you able to trust Willa’s story and
perceptions?

6.Gwen is rebelling in different ways during the crisis,
and Eve talks about adolescence meaning “a disturbance.” How much do you think Gwen’s behavior was
a reflection of the tension in her parents’ marriage?

7.Eve and Max have an obvious attraction to each other,
yet both of them try to keep it professional. Do you think
they could have avoided falling in love? Or can you avoid
such a thing?

8.What do you think of the term “financial infidelity? ”
In what ways do you think this kind of infidelity
breaches ethics? Or does it?

9.Image, family, and success appear to be of the utmost
importance to Cooper. Do these ideas oppose each
another? At what point in the story did you, as a reader,
start to doubt Cooper’s story?


10.The Ten Good Ideas came from Willa and Eve’s childhood remodeling of The Ten Commandments. What
ideas, both as a child and as an adult, would you include
in this list? Which idea resonated the most with you?

11.The tagline for Eve’s company is, “There’s a story behind
everything.” Max often expressed himself with stories—
fables, folk tales, and fairy tales. Willa expressed herself
in songs and she also believed her dreams told her about
her life. In what ways do you incorporate this kind of
storytelling into your own life?

12. Eve’s family plays a pivotal role in her life and in her
beliefs. How do you believe this influenced her belief
in Cooper? How do you believe this affected her
final decision?

13.Savannah, as a city, seems almost like a character in the
novel. In what ways does this distinct setting influence
the story? Would this have been a different kind of story
if it had been set elsewhere?

14.Did you have a sense of who was telling a “true story”
throughout this novel—and who wasn’t? Did that change
throughout your read? How did you think it would end?

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