Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. How did you react to the book’s blend of humor and heartfelt emotion, especially when dealing with themes like aging and mortality? Mikki Brammer’s first novel, The Collected Regrets of Clover, also explores death. If you’ve read it, how did you find the two books’ approaches to these heavy subjects similar or different?

2. Joy’s transformation is sparked by Hazel’s terminal diagnosis. What was your overall feeling about her journey from “Good Joy” to a woman who shoplifts and orchestrates a heist? Did you find her evolution believable and empowering?

3. What part of the story has stayed with you the most since you finished reading?

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

1. Joy’s mother advised her to always “button up and smile” and never be an imposition on others (55). Have you ever been told something that guided your behavior for a long time? Ultimately, do you feel that these words had a positive or negative effect on you?

2. The friendship between the cautious Joy and the adventurous Hazel is central to the story. Think about a close friendship in your own life where you and your friend have very different personalities. How do your contrasting strengths support and balance each other?

3. Elizabeth accuses Joy of “toxic positivity” and not making space for difficult feelings. In your own life, how do you try to balance being supportive with allowing loved ones to express negative emotions?

4. Joy experiences feeling invisible in her old age but eventually learns to use it as a kind of superpower. Have you ever been in a situation where being underestimated or overlooked gave you an unexpected advantage?

5. After years of resentment, Joy finally confronts Celeste and learns the truth about what happened with Thom. Think about a time you realized you held a mistaken assumption about someone. What did it feel like to have that perspective challenged or changed?

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

1. The novel vividly portrays “invisible woman syndrome,” where older women feel increasingly overlooked by society. How does Joy’s journey from feeling superfluous to reclaiming her agency comment on this social issue? Where do you see similar examples of ageism in the world around you?

2. Hazel’s 1968 trip to Puerto Rico for an abortion occurred when the procedure was illegal in most of the US. How does understanding this historical context deepen your understanding of Hazel’s independence and the secret she kept for so long? What does her story suggest about the class dimensions of reproductive freedom?

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

1. The author weaves in flashbacks to key moments in Joy’s past. What did you find most revealing about these glimpses into her youth, marriage, and friendship with Hazel? How did they help explain the choices she makes in the present?

2. The ceramic vase is a central motif in the novel. How does its meaning transform throughout the story?

3. Think about the character of Chuck Launceston, the police officer who was Joy’s former piano student. What is the impact of his reappearance so late in the narrative? How does his story challenge Joy’s belief that her quiet, “good” life was insignificant?

4. The story uses a classic foil structure with Joy and Hazel. In what specific ways do their opposing personalities highlight each other’s strengths and vulnerabilities? How does the novel ultimately show that Joy’s quiet stability was just as essential to their friendship as Hazel’s adventurous spirit?

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. Joy creates the “Bad Joy” persona to give herself courage for the heist. If you were to create an alter ego for a day to do something brave or out of character, what would you name it, and what would be your first adventure?

2. Imagine you are helping Joy decorate her new Brooklyn loft. Based on what you know of her journey and her friendship with Hazel, what kind of atmosphere would you help her create? What one item, besides the vase, would you insist on including?

3. The novel ends with Joy feeling that her life is truly beginning. Write a short “postcard” from Joy to Hazel from one year after the book’s end. What new experiences or minor rebellions would she share with her friend?