The Right Thing
Page 27
At last, Starr gets ready to leave after I promise her one more time I’ll stand godmother to Brittany, who’s good and awake and hungry now. “I’ve got to go back to the hotel and feed her. Come on, Brittany Anne Shapley.”
I raise an eyebrow. “Brittany Anne?”
Starr flashes that big, bright smile. “I named her for you—hopin’ you’d say yes. You can’t back out now, Mercy Anne Banks.” She straps Brittany into the car seat and gets behind the wheel. Leaning out of the window, she says, “You’re still my best friend, right?”
I don’t even stop to think it over. “Always.” I wave until the Mercedes is out of sight.
Morning at the racetrack is done, and it’s almost time for lunch. Hoping he’s not going to want to share his rat with me, I whistle up Troy Smoot and we head to the barn where Ted will be overseeing the noon feeds, checking to make sure the horses have come through their morning workouts without a strained tendon or a lost shoe. I want to find him, to tell him I’m going back to Jackson one last time to be there for my best friend. She needs me.
It’s not a mystery to me any longer. You do the right thing and then live with it, as best you can.
A READING GROUP GUIDE
The Right Thing
Amy Conner
ABOUT THIS GUIDE
The suggested questions are included
to enhance your group’s reading
of Amy Conner’s The Right Thing!
Discussion Questions
Annie is rich, thin, beautiful, and spoiled as a child. Do you find her a sympathetic character? Why or why not?
As the story unfolds, do you find parallels between the 1960s and 1970s chapters and the present action in 1990?
Responsibility and doing the right thing are dominant themes in the novel. In your opinion, which character best embodies these characteristics?
Another theme is the intense relationships shared by small children. Why do you think Annie and Starr’s childhood bond survives into their adulthood even though they haven’t seen each other in decades?
Is this book, in a sense, a coming-of-age novel? If so, when do you see Annie growing up at last after a lifetime of acting like a child?
Why do you think Annie stays married to Du for so long, especially since it’s obvious that she feels unhappy and stifled in her marriage? Does this give you insight into her character?
Do you think The Right Thing accurately depicts two different eras—attitudes, prejudices, political realities, etc.—in the American South?
KENSINGTON BOOKS are published by
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Copyright © 2014 Amy Conner
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the Publisher, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.
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ISBN: 978-0-7582-9512-5
eISBN-13: 978-0-7582-9513-2
eISBN-10: 0-7582-9513-8
First Kensington Electronic Edition: June 2014