The Middle Place

February's Book Selection:




Some Questions to Consider:



Specialists have always claimed that the most difficult relationship occurs between mother and daughter. How could you relate to some of the fights Kelly had with her mother that you've maybe had with your own mom?

Reflecting back on some of those typical arguments between parent and child, did you find a softer place for your own parents and their decisions now that you are also a parent?

How do you think Kelly feels about her own mother? What is the dynamic of their relationship versus the relationship she has with her father?

Is it possible to outgrow childhood without losing a parent? In what ways do our parents keep us in the “child” role?

What is “The Middle Place”? Why is this the title of this book? What does being in The Middle Place mean to Kelly? What does it mean to you?

Sarah's Key

Some questions to consider:

Could you continue to live in a home whose history contained a dark secret, similar to that in Sarah's Key?

What steps would you take if your husband demanded an abortion? Would you obey his request and keep your family intact or would to refuse knowing the ramifications? What about an affair? Would you be able to mend fences and learn to trust again?

This book contains voices of the past and present. Which voice did you prefer and why?

Many passages of the book are tear-provoking. Which ones hit you the hardest?

Put yourself in 10-year-old Sarah's shoes. Do you believe you would have chosen a similar path by leaving Europe in hopes of a brighter future? To keep these events a secret? How do you think you would have handled things differently 50 years ago?

What do you think happened at the end of the novel? Does Julia find romance again?