Like Mother, Like Daughter

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

1. To what extent can you relate to Katrina McHugh’s feelings about motherhood? Conversely, can you connect to Cleo’s perspective on her mother and their relationship?

2. The female characters in the novel take different approaches to caring for their children. Do any of these approaches resonate with you?

3. How does Katrina’s traumatic past, and the ways in which she has tried to put it behind her, resonate with you? Consider her thoughts, emotions, actions, and experiences in her personal and professional lives.

4. Katrina takes some extreme measures to protect her daughter. Do you feel that these actions are justified? Why or why not?

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

1. How does Like Mother, Like Daughter address the issue of patriarchy in contemporary American life?

2. As a child in a group home in the 1990s, Katrina was vulnerable to grooming, harassment, and sexual assault. What safeguards have been implemented since then? To what extent is this still a vulnerable population?

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

1. How did the shifting timelines and perspectives impact your reading of the novel?

2. Like Mother, Like Daughter incorporates different forms of narrative such as newspaper stories and text messages. What did you think of these various forms? What did they add to (or how did they detract from) your reading experience?

3. The novel is set in New York City. How does the setting contribute to the tension and plot? How would it be different if it were set elsewhere?

4. Discuss the character of Aidan McHugh. Do you think he is a round or flat character?