All That Life Can Afford

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. Discuss your overall impressions of All That Life Can Afford? What were your favorite and/or least favorite aspects of the novel, and why?

2. Compare and contrast All That Life Can Afford to other novels in the genre. For example, how does Everett’s title compare to Curtis Sittenfeld’s Eligible or Jenny Jackson’s Pineapple Street?

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

1. The scene in which Faye publicly exposes Anna’s ruse represents a turning point in Anna’s journey. Have you experienced a situation when you felt pressure to act in ways that didn’t align with your values?

2. Anna is envious of her new friends’ lives and money because of her personal background. How does your upbringing and family life compare to Anna’s? Have you experienced times when your background set you apart from those around you? How did you react?

4. Everett creates a clear distinction between Anna’s grad school friends and Faye’s elite circle of friends in London. Which friend group is more similar to your own? Which friend group appeals to you more, and why?

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

1. The novel examines the socioeconomic complexities of the upper class in 2000s London, England. How does Anna’s posture toward money and wealth reflect socioeconomic concerns in the novels she reads and writes about? What parallels does Everett draw between class distinctions in Austen’s novels set in Regency-era England and Anna’s London society?

2. Money is represented as both tempting and dangerous throughout the novel. Are Everett’s depictions of wealth typical or subversive? How does the novel’s engagement with power and privilege reflect contemporary conversations about wealth disparity?

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

1. The novel is written from Anna’s first-person point of view. What impact does this narrative choice have on the story? How would the novel resonate differently if written from the third-person point of view?

2. Analyze Everett’s use of flashbacks throughout the novel. How do Anna’s memories of her life in Massachusetts function narratively? How does her relationship with her past evolve across her arc?

3. Explore the function of micro and macro settings in the novel. How do geographical backdrops like London, Saint-Tropez, and Lisbon shift the narrative atmosphere? Consider how Everett uses micro settings like the Wilders’ house, Andre’s flat, or the British Library to affect the narrative mood. How do these different spaces help reveal Anna’s internal world?

4. Identify three primary symbols in the novel. Discuss how these symbols provide insight into Anna’s character. For example, what is the symbolic significance of Anna’s scarf, the Savoy, Parliament Hill, and/or the cemeteries?

5. Compare and contrast Callum and Theo’s characters. Are they foils for each other? Why or why not? How do their characters impact Anna in different ways?

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. Imagine you are adapting All That Life Can Afford into a film. Who would you cast in the leading roles? Which plot points would you add, omit, or alter to make the adaptation your own?

2. Imagine that you are Anna and have the chance to experience the Wilders’ luxurious lifestyle. Would you make the same decisions as Anna? Write a diary entry from your own perspective describing what you would do differently. 

3. Write an epilogue to Anna’s story. Do she and her friends go to Vienna? Do she and Callum stay together? Does she keep her job at the British Library? How do you imagine Anna’s recent life lessons continue to affect how she sees the world, her relationships, and herself over the coming months?