What Alice Forgot

1. General Impressions

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

• Does Alice’s memory loss suggest that either the 29-year-old or the 30-year-old version is the “real” her? What does this suggest about how the novel treats a sense of self?
• Does the novel suggest that losing her memory was the only way for Alice to improve the relationships in her life? Does it argue, for example, that she and Nick would have reunited if she’d never lost her memories?

2. Personal Reflection and Connection

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

• Elisabeth feels shame for her infertility, despite not being at fault. Have you ever felt guilty or embarrassed over something you could not control? What do you think led those emotions, and how did you react?
• For Alice and Elisabeth, a “happy ending” means marriage and children. Is this your version of a “happy ending”? If you are married with children, does this feel like an “end” to your narrative?
• If you lost your memories, do you think it would change the core of who you are? Why or why not? What do you think would change?
• Do you consider parenthood part of your identity? How big a part? What other parts of your identity do you hold dear?
• Several characters in the novel suffer from anxiety that arises from comparing themselves to their peers. Have you ever compared yourself to someone else in a way that turned out to be positive? If so, what happened?

3. Societal and Cultural Context

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

• What does the novel say about social expectations surrounding what makes a “good” mother?
• Elisabeth, in much of the novel, represents the common social issue over whether women can “have it all,” meaning marriage, motherhood, and a career. Does the novel take this question seriously, or does it seem scornful of what some consider an outdated idea?
• How does the novel frame wealth and happiness as being contrasting or overlapping qualities?

4. Literary Analysis

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

• How do Alice’s flashes of recalled memory function (such as the pink balloons that make Alice sad) as symbols of the novel’s themes?
• How does Elisabeth’s pregnancy and pregnancy loss arc make a claim about “natural” motherhood, and how is this claim changed by the epilogue’s reveal that she and Ben adopt three boys?
• Nick and Alice are at odds for much of the novel, but do you consider him a true antagonist? Why or why not—particularly in light of the novel’s conclusion?
• How does Moriarty contrast a lighthearted tone with serious subject matter? What does this contrast do for readers’ experience with the book?
• For which characters does the novel serve as a coming-of-age?

5. Creative Engagement

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

• Several of Moriarty’s books have been adapted for the screen. If you were adapting What Alice Forgot, what format would you use? A movie? A miniseries? Consider non-screen adaptations as well, such as the stage. Why would you shape it this way, and how would you change the arc to fit that medium?
• Alice’s memory loss lets Moriarty ask, “What if?” Imagine how your life might change if you forgot the same decade that Alice forgot. What would be different about your life today?