by Lynne Hugo
Again, a ping went off in my mind and, after I hung up, that little bell harmonized with the others I’d heard, Brandon, Brandon, Brandon.
Did Al know who that dead boyfriend of Brandon’s mother was? Al’s never cared much for human details; his life is about the land, the weather, and the cost. If he had known, he’d have blurted out his opinion, too. He wouldn’t have been one to try to protect me by making something up, like, Oh, that boy’s family is moving to Indy, so he won’t be around. Not like my Harold. Or like Gus. But while Al rattled on with his irritation that it cost twenty cents to call over there and it was greedy and stupid of the phone company to charge extra in the same area code, I knew.
* * *
I waited a day. Then, yes, I called that number. Remember, I was a teacher. I can smell a cheater from across a classroom, and likewise, I recognize an honest heart in a boy who loves books, who loves animals, who tries his best.
Don’t worry. I know another boy won’t be our Cody. It’ll just be nice to have a boy around again. Brandon does have beautiful blue eyes, and maybe it’s good that they aren’t either hydrangea blue or cornflower blue, but something darker, as I recall, as if they held a sapphire memory. Anyway, it’s a different kind of sight I always looked to nurture in my students, through the lens of character, kindness, and thinking. You want to catch boys while they’re young and help them grow into good men, like my Harold was. And, yes, like Gus, even if he is a puffy sheriff.
Just don’t start thinking I’ll end up marrying Gus even if we keep company and get close, as CarolSue foresees. I’ll always be Harold’s wife.
A READING GROUP GUIDE
THE TESTAMENT OF
HAROLD’S WIFE
Lynne Hugo
ABOUT THIS GUIDE
The suggested questions are included
to enhance your group’s reading
of
Lynne Hugo’s The Testament of Harold’s Wife
(Please be aware that there are “spoilers”
in this guide, so you may not want to read
the questions before finishing the book.)
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. What is your image of a woman in her sixties or seventies? In what ways does Louisa challenge or confirm that?
2. How did you assess Gary? Did he evoke sympathy, anger, or some other emotion?
3. What was your reaction to CarolSue? Do you have a relationship with a sibling or very close friend who has a similar role in your life? Do you think this sort of relationship is unique to women or do men develop it with other men, too?
4. Did your reaction to Gus change during the course of the novel?
5. How do you see the different notions of religion and/or spirituality in this novel? Do any of them fit with your own?
6. Louisa is extremely bothered by trophy hunting. How does this match your own feelings about hunting for the purpose of sport as opposed to hunting for food? Do you have thoughts or feelings about the notion of animal rights? If so, how do you define them and what do they mean?
7. Do you prefer a novel that has a few “loose ends” or do you like one that ties everything up neatly at the close? What do you imagine will happen after Louisa comes home from visiting CarolSue?
8. What do you imagine to be the author’s intention as she wrote The Testament of Harold’s Wife?
If your book club or group would enjoy having the author Skype or FaceTime with you during any part of your discussion of these questions, or to respond to any questions you might have about her work, she’d be delighted to do so. You may contact her through her website (LynneHugo.com), the publisher (Kensington Books), or Writers House literary agency.
Photo: © Alan deCourcy
The Testament of Harold’s Wife is Lynne Hugo’s eighth novel. She is a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship recipient who has also received grants from the Ohio Arts Council and the Kentucky Foundation for Women. Where the Trail Grows Faint, about animal-assisted therapy in a nursing home with a lively Lab, won the Riverteeth Literary Nonfiction Book Prize. Her recent novels are A Matter of Mercy, which received the 2015 Independent Publishers Silver Medal for Best North-East Fiction, and Remember My Beauties. Born and educated in New England, Lynne and her husband now live in Ohio with Scout, a yellow Lab feared by squirrels in three states.
You’re warmly invited to visit LynneHugo.com