Long Island Compromise

Content Warning: This section of the guide contains discussion of substance use, mental illness, and graphic violence

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. Long Island Compromise uses a community narrator at various points to frame the Fletcher family story. How effective did you find this narrative technique in providing perspective on wealth and privilege? Did this approach remind you of other novels that use community narration, such as Jeffrey Eugenides’s The Virgin Suicides?

2. The novel presents wealth as a curse rather than a blessing for the Fletcher family. Did you find this perspective convincing? What aspects of their struggles resonated most strongly with you?

3. Brodesser-Akner’s first novel, Fleishman Is in Trouble, also explores the complexities of Jewish American identity and privilege. If you’ve read both works, how does her treatment of these themes differ or evolve in Long Island Compromise? If not, what surprised you most about her portrayal of the wealthy Jewish community in this novel?

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

1. Throughout the novel, wealth is portrayed as a barrier to personal growth rather than an enabler of freedom. Do you relate to this perspective in your own experiences with financial security or insecurity?

2. Ruth marries Carl partly for the stability and certainty his wealth promises, only to discover that no amount of money can guarantee security. Have you ever made a significant life decision seeking certainty, only to find that certainty itself is an illusion?

3. The Fletcher children each cope with inherited trauma in different ways: Nathan through anxiety and insurance addiction, Beamer through substance use and unhealthy relationships, and Jenny through donating her money and academic rebellion. Which character’s coping mechanism felt most familiar or understandable to you, and why?

4. Jenny struggles to forge an identity separate from her family wealth while simultaneously benefiting from it. Have you ever tried to distance yourself from an aspect of your background or upbringing while recognizing its continued influence on your life?

5. The concept of the “plastic hour” in the novel refers to periods of suffering that enable personal growth. Reflecting on your own life, can you identify moments of challenge that ultimately led to meaningful change or development?

6. Ruth uses the metaphor of “fattened calves” to describe the Fletcher children, who were raised with wealth but unable to develop the skills needed for independent adulthood. How does this imagery resonate with your observations about how privilege can sometimes impede development?

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

1. The novel is set primarily in Long Island, which has seen shifting demographics and class boundaries since the 1980s. How does Brodesser-Akner use this setting to comment on changes in American wealth and class structures over the past four decades?

2. Jewish American identity plays a significant role in the novel, from Zelig’s Holocaust survival story to the community of Middle Rock. How does Brodesser-Akner portray the relationship between Jewish identity, trauma, and wealth accumulation across generations?

3. The concept of the “Long Island Compromise” refers to an agreement that offers a superficial solution while avoiding deeper issues. What contemporary societal “compromises” do you see that similarly allow people to avoid addressing fundamental problems?

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

1. The dybbuk is a recurring motif throughout the novel, representing repressed trauma and unacknowledged desires. How does this supernatural element from Jewish folklore enhance the novel’s exploration of psychological trauma?

2. The novel spans multiple decades and shifts between different character perspectives. How does this structure affect your understanding of the family’s shared trauma and individual responses to it?

3. Polystyrene is both the literal source of the family’s wealth and a symbolic representation of their fragility. Discuss how this material’s properties (mass-produced, lightweight, highly combustible) reflect aspects of the Fletcher family identity.

4. Carl’s kidnapping is the central event from which all other plot elements radiate. How does Brodesser-Akner use this single traumatic incident to explore the ripple effects of trauma across generations?

5. At the end of the novel, the Fletchers’ problems are resolved through the discovery of hidden diamonds and bonds. What statement is Brodesser-Akner making about wealth, growth, and narrative satisfaction through this deliberately unsatisfying resolution?

6. The narrator states that the Fletchers’ story has a “terrible ending” because the characters never face a genuine crisis that forces them to grow. How does this subvert conventional narrative expectations? What purpose does this subversion serve?

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. Imagine that the Fletcher family story continues for another generation. Write the opening paragraph of a sequel that follows Jenny’s children in Cincinnati as they discover their family history.

2. Select songs that could serve as a theme for each of the main characters (Ruth, Nathan, Beamer, and Jenny). Explain how each song captures their personality, struggles, and development throughout the novel.

3. Transform one pivotal scene from the novel into a short dramatic dialogue that reveals something new about the characters involved.

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