The Kitchen House

Content Warning: This section of the guide contains discussion of graphic violence, racism, sexual violence and/or harassment, physical abuse, emotional abuse, substance use, and death.

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. The Kitchen House alternates between Lavinia’s and Belle’s perspectives. How did this dual narration affect your reading experience? Did you find yourself more drawn to one perspective than the other?

2. Grissom depicts a complex portrayal of life on a Southern plantation, showing moments of genuine connection and care alongside brutal violence and subjugation. Did this portrayal challenge or confirm your previous understanding of this historical period? How does it compare to other plantation narratives like Toni Morrison’s Beloved or Sue Monk Kidd’s The Invention of Wings?

3. The novel opens with a prologue set in 1810, when Lavinia witnesses someone hanging from a tree, then jumps back to 1791 before eventually circling back to this scene. How does this narrative structure add to rising tension or develop foreshadowing?

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

1. Throughout the novel, Lavinia struggles with her identity, as she is neither part of the community of enslaved people nor fully accepted in white society. Have you ever experienced feeling caught between two worlds or communities? How did Lavinia’s experience resonate with or differ from your own?

2. Many characters in the novel turn to various destructive forms of escape when faced with trauma and hardship—Martha and Lavinia with laudanum, Marshall with alcohol and violence. What unhealthy coping mechanisms do you see people turn to today when confronting difficult circumstances? What better alternatives might exist?

3. The concept of family in the novel extends beyond blood relations, with Lavinia finding maternal love from Mama Mae, and Belle forming strong bonds with those in the kitchen house. How do you define family in your own life? Has your definition evolved over time?

4. Lavinia often makes choices based on her desire for security and belonging, sometimes at the expense of her own happiness or the well-being of others. Have you ever made difficult compromises for the sake of stability or acceptance? What guided your decision-making process?

5. Belle refuses James’s offer of freedom papers because she considers the plantation her home despite its painful associations. In Grissom’s sequel, Glory Over Everything, we see Jamie make the opposite choice by fleeing north. Have you ever felt attached to a place or situation that others might view as harmful or limiting? What factors influence whether someone stays or leaves in difficult circumstances?

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

1. The Kitchen House portrays how the institution of slavery damaged everyone involved—enslaved people most directly, but also enslavers and their families. How does this perspective contribute to our contemporary understanding of slavery’s legacy in America?

2. The novel depicts various examples that show how traumatic abuse—physical, sexual, and emotional—can lead to cycles of violence across generations. How do you see similar patterns operating in society today, and what approaches might help break these destructive cycles?

3. Women in the novel face different but interconnected forms of oppression based on both gender and race. How do these portrayals relate to modern discussions about women’s experiences across different social contexts?

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

1. The kitchen house serves as both a physical setting and a powerful symbol in the novel. What does this intermediary space represent, and how does its significance evolve throughout the story?

2. The theme of history repeating itself runs throughout the novel, with patterns of behavior passing from one generation to the next. Identify specific examples of this cyclical pattern and discuss how Grissom uses these parallels to deepen the novel’s meaning.

3. Belle and Lavinia are both outsiders in different ways—Belle as James’s unacknowledged daughter and Lavinia as a white indentured servant living among enslaved people. How does Grissom use their unique positions to provide insight into the plantation’s social hierarchy?

4. How do different characters respond to loss, and what might Grissom be suggesting about the human capacity for resilience and recovery?

5. Several characters in the novel exhibit complex moral ambiguity, including James, Marshall, and even Lavinia at times. How does Grissom develop these characters beyond simple “good” or “evil” designations, and what purpose might this complexity serve in the novel?

6. What is the symbolic meaning of laudanum in the novel? How does Grissom use this drug to explore themes of escape, control, and the costs of avoidance?

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. If you were to write an additional chapter set 10 years after the novel’s conclusion, what would have happened to Lavinia, Belle, Jamie, and the plantation? How might their relationships and circumstances have evolved?

2. The novel ends with Belle’s epitaph: “Belle Pyke/Daughter of James Pyke” (365). If you were to write epitaphs for three other characters from the novel, whom would you choose and what would their epitaphs say?

3. Imagine a conversation between Lavinia and Belle in their later years, reflecting on their shared past and divergent experiences. What unresolved issues might they discuss? What wisdom might they have gained? Write a brief dialogue capturing this exchange.

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