Book club Discussion Questions for My Husband's Wife by Jane Corry
·
The book begins with newlyweds, Ed and Lily,
two of the main characters. We find out that Ed proposes to Lily on their
second date. Should this have been a red flag for Lily?
·
We find out Ed’s ex girlfriend left him and he
needed to get married in order to acquire his trust. Let’s unpack this and the
implication it has on his future with new wife, Lily.
·
Lily is a lawyer, who takes on Joe Thomas as a
client. Discuss their relationship.
·
Do Ed and Joe have anything in common?
·
Carla is raised by a single Italian mother
named Francesca. Lily and Ed watch Carla while she’s at work. Her “work” is
really a married man named Larry. Larry had a secret name and a not so secret
family. Discuss.
·
Lily's chapters are in the first person and
Carla's in the third. Does this make you more sympathetic towards Lily?
·
Lily seems to have a strange relationship with
her family. We later find out she had an adopted brother and her issues stem
from far more than just his suicide. How do you think their relationship and
his death have impacted her life choices?
·
Carla becomes a muse for Ed and he paints her
as “The Italian Girl,” awarding him some attention for his work. Did anyone
else find their relationship to be borderline inappropriate from day 1?
·
Lily and Ed have a son named Tom, who has some
behavioral issues. The issues make Lily think he could be Joe’s son. Lily never
finds out if Ed or Joe is the father. Why?
·
Carla comes back from Italy to attend law
school after being inspired by Lily. In a way, she seemed to be trying to
become her before she became involved with Ed.
Do you think she wants to step into Lily’s life or just thinks being
with a married man is acceptable because of her mother’s past relationships?
·
Joe Thomas is a stalkery criminal that Lily
has some strange feelings for. Let’s talk about their relationship.
·
Ed is killed. Who did it? What happened?
·
Carla seeks Lily’s help as her lawyer. Lily
steps in to take the case of her dead husband’s new wife. Why?
·
Carla was painted again as a child and as an
adult. We later find out that Carla’s father, whom she has yearned to know for
her whole life saw the painting on the news and ends up getting in touch with
Carla’s Nonno and then taking care of her daughter Poppy. In the end, it seems
as though her daughter will be getting the father she never had. Being raised
by a single mom seemed to be the stem of many of her insecurities throughout
the book and also may have given her a “father complex,” which possibly played
into her relationship with married man and father, Ed. Discuss this and the end
of the book.
