Family Family

Content Warning: This section of the guide contains discussion of mental illness.

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. What aspects of the novel’s portrayal of diverse family structures did you find most authentic or compelling?

2. How does Frankel’s Family Family compare to other works exploring similar themes, such as her earlier novel This Is How It Always Is, which examines the experiences of a family with a transgender child?

3. Which character’s journey resonated with you most deeply throughout the story?

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

1. Throughout her life, India relies on index cards for decision-making and goal-setting. What personal methods do you use to maintain control during life’s unpredictable moments?

2. When have you experienced a significant shift in how you define yourself?

3. Can you recall a time when you had to make a difficult decision while considering its impacts on multiple people?

4. Fig struggles with anxiety stemming from past trauma. Which strategies have helped you navigate anxiety or fear in challenging situations?

5. Have you ever realized that a dream job or goal doesn’t align with your values and authenticity?

6. Which non-biological relationships in your life have taken on the significance of family?

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

1. Discuss the contemporary media’s portrayal of family structures. What oversimplified narratives about family structures do you see perpetuated? How do they affect our societal understanding of the concept of family?

2. Consider how India faces intense scrutiny for her personal choices around pregnancy, adoption, and parenting. In what ways has social media transformed public judgment of celebrities’ private decisions? 

3. Discuss the resources available to help families with children who have experienced trauma. What resources does society currently provide? Which resources are lacking and should be available?

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

1. Frankel uses an alternating timeline structure to organize this novel. What purpose does it serve? How does it contribute to the deeper thematic meanings of the narrative?

2. Analyze the theatrical references that Frankel uses throughout the novel. How do they connect to India’s journey of self-discovery and authenticity?

3. Discuss the motif of the index cards that runs throughout the novel. What does the evolution of this motif reveal about India’s character?

4. Consider the book’s exploration of motherhood. How does India’s first experience with motherhood shape her later approach to parenting Fig and Jack?

5. Throughout the novel, Frankel explores love and its limitations. Consider what commentary the narrative offers on these concepts. How does Frankel use literary devices to emphasize and support the novel’s examination of this topic?

6. How does Frankel’s portrayal of blended families compare to other contemporary works like Celeste Ng’s Little Fires Everywhere, which also explores the complexity of motherhood, adoption, and what makes a family?

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. Write an epilogue to the novel that takes place five years after the novel’s conclusion. Consider how relationships would have changed and evolved over that time.

2. If you were directing the play Family Family, which scenes from India’s life would you emphasize, and which actors would you cast in the main roles?

3. Create a mock social media post that India might share after the events of the book in order to reclaim her narrative.

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