Meet Me in the Garden

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. What was your initial emotional response to Odette’s journey? Did you find her story primarily hopeful, tragic, or a mix of both, and which moments in the book most influenced your perspective?

2. The novel shares some powerful themes with Brit Bennett’s The Vanishing Half, particularly the story of sisterhood, racial passing, and the long-term consequences of family secrets. How did you feel Meet Me in the Garden approached these ideas differently? What did this book’s focus on art and queer identity add to the conversation for you?

3. Thinking about the novel as a whole, what did you make of its structure, which spans decades of Odette’s life? Did the time jumps feel effective in showing her evolution, or were there moments you wished the story had lingered on longer?

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

1. Odette and her family leave New Orleans and create a new home in Los Angeles. Has there been a time in your life when you made a fresh start, such as moving to a new place or pursuing a new career opportunity? What did you learn about yourself through this experience?

2. Delphine spends years pretending to be white, and Odette hides her queer identity from her family for most of the novel. Have you ever felt pressured to conceal an important piece of yourself to fit in? How did you handle this situation?

3. Odette’s biological family as well as her close friends are vital sources of support. Share a story about a time when your friends or family helped you through something difficult. How did this experience affect your relationship with them?

4. One of the novel’s major themes is Creative Expression as an Emotional Outlet. In your own life, do you have any passions or hobbies that help you express yourself?

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

1. How did reading Meet Me in the Garden change your understanding of the Great Migration?

2. What lessons can contemporary readers gain from seeing how the historical fiction novel’s characters navigate racism and antigay bias decades ago? Do you see similar struggles taking place today?

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

1. Identify and analyze the specific narrative techniques and literary devices that LaCour uses to capture Odette’s artistic process. How do these authorial choices shape your understanding of the protagonist’s character and the theme of Creative Expression as an Emotional Outlet?

2. Compare and contrast two of the novel’s mother-daughter relationships. How do these relationships reinforce or complicate the theme of The Strength of Family Bonds?

3. Many of the novel’s scenes take place over meals. Citing specific evidence from the story, discuss how the characters use food to celebrate their heritage, express their creativity, and strengthen their relationships. 

4. In what ways is Meet Me in the Garden a bildungsroman? In what ways does the novel subvert or expand upon the conventions of a coming-of-age story?

5. We experience the entire story through Odette’s first-person perspective. How did this narrative choice affect your understanding of her and the novel’s supporting characters?

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. If you were to design a piece of artwork that would capture important symbols and moments from your life like the painting Meet Me in the Garden encapsulates Odette’s life, what would you include and what artistic medium would you choose? 

2. Imagine a reunion between Delphine and Nathalie years after the story’s conclusion. What might have changed for the characters in that time, and what do you think they would tell each other?

3. If you could write a letter to one of LaCour’s characters, who would you choose and what would you want to say to them?