Read On
Reading Group Guide: Discussion Questions for Half of What You Hear
Does Bess’s move to Greyhill feel like an escape from her humiliation in Washington or a proactive move for her family? What would you have done in her shoes?
Do you think Bess deserved to lose her job at the White House? Is “venting with a coworker,” as Bess describes her behavior, ever acceptable or is it always a bad idea?
In what ways is Greyhill a typical “small town”? Does it seem like the residents make a conscious effort to keep out outsiders, and if so, do you think this is true of small towns in general? Would you ever live in a place like it?
Does Cole owe it to Bess to help her feel more comfortable in Greyhill because it’s his hometown, or is it better for her to have to carve her own path?
What does Susannah owe the residents of Greyhill? Is it fair for her to sell off the land even if it means a fundamental change in the town’s character? Is change inevitable?
How do the flashbacks to Bess’s high school years reflect her current-day experience with the other mothers in Greyhill? Is Cole right that she’s projecting a bit? Or is Livvie’s experience trying to find friends in their new town similar to hers?
Susannah is a layered, complex character with many secrets. By the novel’s end, how had your initial impressions of her changed? Did you feel more or less sympathy for her?
Henrietta Martin has taken on an important symbolic significance for the residents of Greyhill. What does she represent for them? How do you think they’ll change their opinions about her and her death now that Bess’s article has shed some light on the incident?
Diane is, in some ways, a typical mother-in-law, but she surprises Bess by the end of the book. Did you have to revise your earlier impressions of her, as Bess did? What do you think their future relationship will be like?
Does gossip serve any positive purpose in this novel? Have you ever had an instance in your own life when gossiping helped a situation, or do you believe in the old adage that if you can’t say something nice, then you shouldn’t say anything at all? What do you think of people who are described as gossips?
Praise for Half of What You Hear
“The ending is neatly constructed, with satisfying redemption for all. Fans of Emily Giffin and Sally Hepworth will appreciate this enjoyable family drama featuring likable characters in challenging situations.”
—Booklist
“Fans of Liane Moriarty will adore the quirky cast of characters, gossip, and intrigue. I thoroughly enjoyed it!”
—Jamie Brenner, bestselling author of The Forever Summer and The Husband Hour
“Imagine a Liane Moriarty novel served with a tall glass of sweet tea and you’ll have Half of What You Hear. Kristyn Kusek Lewis’ latest tells the story of a Virginia town that may be too small to handle the truth—and the explosive result when several women’s secrets manage to come to light anyway. Utterly captivating.”
—Camille Pagán, bestselling author of Woman Last Seen in Her Thirties
“Incredibly intriguing, Half of What You Hear is a must-read that artfully delves its way through the layers of gossip, secrets, and lies of the small and seemingly charming town of Greyhill, where everyone knows your name, and oh so much more. Buckle up for a fun ride and one thing is for sure: you won’t know who to believe until the very end.”
—Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke, bestselling authors of Girls’ Night Out
“With all the domestic intrigue of Big Little Lies and the searing small-town drama of Little Fires Everywhere, Half of What You Hear is a delicious, insightful page-turner set in a genteel Virginia town where everyone knows your secrets—and nothing is what it appears. I couldn’t wait to see what happened next!”
—Kristin Harmel, international bestselling author of The Room on Rue Amélie and The Sweetness of Forgetting
Praise for Save Me
“Lewis gets it just right in her examination of how tiny cracks can shatter in a marriage that gets ‘cemented in the fable’ of what being together is supposed to be.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Lewis’ newest novel is an emotional roller coaster of a read, but in a good way. As fans follow the protagonist’s story and journey through one of the hardest moments of her life, they will find themselves feeling every emotion with her along the way—hope, anguish, rage, sadness, and love all emerge. It’s a testament to Lewis’ great writing and is an absolutely fantastic read.”
—RT Book Reviews
“Kristyn Kusek Lewis has written a novel that is as thought-provoking as it is thoughtful. From its heartbreaking beginning to its heartwarming end, Save Me had me asking myself, ‘What would I do?’ over and over—and over again. Absorbing, compelling, and a pleasure to read, this book is a page turner.”
—Taylor Jenkins Reid, author of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
“Kristyn Kusek Lewis defines heartbreak with deep understanding and compassion in Save Me. I swung from hope to rage, and back again, as I followed Daphne through the shattering after effects of infidelity. Lewis portrays neither angels nor demons, but the aching reality that marriage can become, along with the possibility of grace that love offers.”
—Randy Susan Meyers, author of Accidents of Marriage and The Comfort of Lies
Praise for How Lucky You Are
“Fans of women’s fiction about enduring female friendships will relate to debut author Lewis’s vivid and genuinely written protagonists. A good choice for readers who enjoy the novels of Kristin Hannah.”
—Library Journal
“Charming and achingly real. . . . I’m certain it will become a book club favorite.”
—Sarah Jio, New York Times bestselling author of The Violets of March and The Bungalow
“In this wise and compulsively readable debut, Lewis follows three thirtysomething female friends and tackles even the heaviest of subjects with a restrained and self-assured hand, avoiding sentimentality while displaying an impressive emotional range. . . . If you’ve ever had a best friend or been a best friend, this is a book for you.”
—Meg Mitchell Moore, author of The Admissions and The Arrivals
“How Lucky You Are is a compelling, insightful, and moving tale of the ever-shifting terrain of female friendship and the secrets we keep even from those who love us most.”
—Meg Donohue, USA Today bestselling author of Every Wild Heart and Dog Crazy
Also by Kristyn Kusek Lewis
Save Me
How Lucky You Are
Copyright
P.S.™ is a trademark of HarperCollins Publishers.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
HALF OF WHAT YOU HEAR. Copyright © 2019 by Kristyn Kusek Lewis. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
FIRST EDITION
Cover design by Andrea Guinn
Cover photographs © Spiderstock/iStock/Getty Images (front door); © Floortje/iStock/Getty Images (plant); © Bluemoon Stock/Getty Images (chair); © Johner Images/Getty Images (entranceway)
Digital Edition JANUARY 2019 ISBN: 978-0-06-267337-4
Version 11272018
Print ISBN: 978-0-06-267335-0
About the Publisher
Australia
HarperCollins Publishers Austra
lia Pty. Ltd.
Level 13, 201 Elizabeth Street
Sydney, NSW 2000, Australia
www.harpercollins.com.au
Canada
HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
Bay Adelaide Centre, East Tower
22 Adelaide Street West, 41st Floor
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
M5H 4E3
www.harpercollins.ca
India
HarperCollins India
A 75, Sector 57
Noida
Uttar Pradesh 201 301
www.harpercollins.co.in
New Zealand
HarperCollins Publishers New Zealand
Unit D1, 63 Apollo Drive
Rosedale 0632
Auckland, New Zealand
www.harpercollins.co.nz
United Kingdom
HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.
1 London Bridge Street
London SE1 9GF, UK
www.harpercollins.co.uk
United States
HarperCollins Publishers Inc.
195 Broadway
New York, NY 10007
www.harpercollins.com
Half of What You Hear Page 30