Road Trip

Lady Delia in 1926 and Lady Esme a century later are both killed on the Tarrymore grounds during disputes over family property. Compare the motivations, circumstances, and consequences of these two crimes.

Compare the depiction of Mary Helen’s Savannah house with Esme’s cottage in Ireland. What do these domestic spaces reveal about the circumstances and choices of the women who inhabit them?

Vehicles appear frequently across the novel, including Mary Helen’s Chrysler LeBaron, Liam’s self-built Jeep, and Geoffrey’s Rolls-Royce. What role do these different modes of transportation play in establishing the social status and mobility of the characters?

How does the novel portray the social and economic divide between the landed Rossington family and the people who work on the Tarrymore estate?

How do Lord Edward, Brother Jerome, and Geoffrey affect the autonomy of the women whose lives they influence? What message is Andrews expressing by comparing these characters?

Characters throughout the novel repeatedly commit acts of deception or outright crime to alter the distribution of wealth and property. How does the narrative complicate the relationship between legal ownership and moral entitlement?

After researching the 1974 IRA art heist at Russborough House led by Bridget Rose Dugdale, examine how Andrews adapts the historical details of that event to construct the robbery at Tarrymore.

Trace the movement and changing significance of the Rossington jewelry, specifically the gold stickpin and the sapphire brooch, from 1926 to the present day. What do these heirlooms reveal about how family legitimacy is established or contested?