A Love Song for Ricki Wilde

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

1. Ricki struggles with being the family outcast and feeling like her dreams and personality are too “weird” for her sisters and parents to accept. Have you ever felt pressure to conform to others’ expectations rather than pursuing your own path? How did you navigate this challenge?

2. The novel emphasizes how creative expression can be healing and empowering. Has art, music, or another form of creative expression ever helped you through a difficult time or provided you with a sense of purpose?

3. Throughout the novel, Ricki finds meaning in preserving and highlighting historical sites and stories that might otherwise be forgotten. What aspects of history or culture do you feel personally connected to or motivated to preserve?

4. Ezra describes the experience of being a Perennial as being forgotten and leaving only subtle influences in people’s lives. Reflect on a time when someone briefly entered your life but left a lasting impact, even if the details of your interactions have faded over time.

5. Della advises Ricki to live life to the fullest and take chances. What would this idea mean for you right now, and what chances might you be hesitant to take?

6. In the novel, both Ezra and Ricki find themselves drawn to the glamour and artistry of the Harlem Renaissance era. Is there a particular historical period that holds special fascination or appeal for you, and what aspects of that era do you find most compelling?

Examine the book’s relevance to societal issues, historical events, or cultural themes.

1. The novel portrays gentrification in Harlem, noting that “there are many more upper-middle-class white families living here than Black ones” (25). How does the book address the tension between preserving cultural heritage and the reality of neighborhood change?

2. How does Williams’s portrayal of the Harlem Renaissance challenge or reinforce your understanding of this cultural movement’s significance for Black Americans both then and now?

3. The novel explores various beliefs and practices associated with Voodoo, both through Felice’s destructive use and Eva Mercy’s more nuanced explanation that “voodoo itself is harmless and peaceful” but was mischaracterized by “white supremacy” as “satanic” (237). How does the book navigate these complex cultural and spiritual traditions, and what does this reveal about how marginalized practices are often misrepresented?

Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and symbolism.

1. The novel employs dual timelines—one in the 1920s focusing on Ezra and one in the present focusing on Ricki. How does this structure convey the impact of history in the present?

2. The antique oak piano appears as a significant symbol throughout the novel. In what ways does it connect the past to the present and represent the relationship between Ezra and Ricki?

3. Williams writes that Ricki’s floral arrangements “weren’t simply flower shots [but] odes to slices of Black history” (119). How does the novel use flowers and floristry as both literal and metaphorical devices to explore themes of beauty, growth, and cultural preservation?

4. How do the character arcs of the four main characters—Ricki, Ezra, Della, and Tuesday—complement each other and contribute to the novel’s exploration of finding personal freedom through self-expression?

5. The novel introduces the concept of Perennials—immortals who cannot die but also cannot be remembered by mortal humans for longer than a month. How does this fantastical concept serve as a metaphor for artists whose influences live on even when their names are forgotten?

6. Night-blooming jasmine appears at several key moments in the story. How does its unusual winter blooming foreshadow the magical elements of the story, and what might it represent about Ricki and Ezra’s relationship?