A Good House for Children by Kate Collins is a page-turning mystery that spans decades. We know you will love this pick for your book club because of its themes on motherhood and feminism. Get ready for a lively discussion! Note: Spoilers below!
- Neither Orla nor Lydia is believed when they raise concerns about the safety of the children in their care. Is there a difference in the way that Nick and Sara react to the concerns? How does gender play a role in those dismissals?
- Both families move to the Reeve because it is “a good house for children” — lots of space, lots of land, lots of fresh air. Are those qualities that make for a good house for children? What ideas do parents latch onto as “necessary” for children that are more about ideology than practicality?
- How much should parents sacrifice for their children? Do you have a different answer for fathers than for mothers? Are mothers capable of sacrifice in a way that fathers are not?
- Nick and Orla’s son Sam is an elective mute. Nick and Orla have different opinions on what kind of intervention he needs. Did you side with one of them over the other? Would you have made different decisions?
- Orla has given up her career as an artist to care for her children. This is in many ways a financial decision; but Orla also feels that it is challenging to be creative when she is consumed with the daily drudgery of child-rearing. Is making art a luxury in the face of so many practical considerations? What is the role of art and creativity in one’s life, whether as a creator or a consumer?
- Did you believe Orla and Lydia all the way through the book? Did you at any point wonder, along with Nick and Sara, if they were seeing something that wasn’t there? How does Kate Collins manipulate the narrative as the novel unfolds?
- What makes for a good marriage? How is Nick and Orla’s marriage in dialogue with Sara’s grief? In what ways do we live as individuals in partnerships? What does partnership give us – or take from us?
- Before you read this book was your dream house a crumbling gothic mansion? Is it still?
A Good House for Children
by Kate Collins
Check out more from author, Kate Collins, including a Spotify playlist.
This is a sponsored post and questions are courtesy of HarperCollins Publishers.