The End of Always: A Novel
Page 31
Rather than witnessing violence in The End of Always, we often see evidence of it on the bodies of women in the novel, including Marie and her mother. Why do you think the author focuses more on the aftermath of violence than on depicting detailed scenes of the violence itself?
What does America look like in The End of Always? Does it seem familiar? Why or why not?
The day after Marie spends the night with August, Inge simplifies an important power dynamic at work in the book: “A girl has one thing and one thing only and when that is gone, it is gone. There is no getting it back.” Do you think society’s relationship to virginity has changed since the early twentieth century? How? Is it easier to be sexually active as an unmarried girl or woman today? Does a girl still have “one thing and one thing only?”
Not all of the men in The End of Always are bad. Marie encounters some men—either directly or by proxy—who show her kindness. Who are they? Does the fact that these men have more power than the men in the immigrant community make a difference or are they, too, just exercising their control? What do you make of Marie’s uncle Carl?
Could Edwin ever exist as a love interest for Marie? Or is he something more important?
Bertha is a kind and generous friend. What is it about her presence that aides Marie in escaping her situation?
Marie is born into a violent home. Despite her best efforts, she continues in that tradition. What do you think accounts for this cycle? Do you think the cycle can be stopped?
Does Marie change over the course of the book? If so, does she change for the better or for the worse? Do you think she could have found another way out? What do you think of the choices she made?
What sort of future do you see for Marie and her child? Do you believe the ending is hopeful or resigned?
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Contents
Cover
Title Page
Welcome
Dedication
Epigraph
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Also by Randi Davenport
Author Q & A
Reading Group Guide
Newsletters
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. While many of the people and places are real, and some events are real, the author has taken literary license to imagine additional characters, as well as the characteristics, personalities, and many of the circumstances of the people who exist in the historical record.
Copyright © 2014 by Randi Davenport
Cover design by TK. Copyright © 2014 by Hachette Book Group, Inc.
All rights reserved. In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning, uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this book without the permission of the publisher is unlawful piracy and theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), prior written permission must be obtained by contacting the publisher at permissions@hbgusa.com. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.
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First ebook edition: May 2014
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ISBN 978-1-4555-7306-6
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