1. Sofia and Antonia’s friendship began because of a unique circumstance they were born into, but it undergoes a transformation as they grow into adults. Were there aspects of Sofia and Antonia’s friendship that reminded you of your own with a friend? If so, what were they, and why?
2. What do you see as Sofia’s defining characteristics? Antonia’s? How do you think those characteristics led Sofia and Antonia to live their particular lives?
3. Considering the characteristics you named in response to the previous question, do you feel you are more like Sofia or Antonia? How do you think these traits have led you to where you are today?
4. Compare and contrast a popular mafia story, such as The Godfather, with The Family. How do you feel the mafia is depicted in each? In what ways does The Family subvert popular fiction about the mafia, if at all?
5. Discuss how World War II and the aftermath of this event affected both Sofia’s and Antonia’s lives. If this catastrophic war hadn’t happened, how do you think their lives would have been the same or different throughout the novel?
6. What was your favorite scene in the novel, and why?
7. Sunday dinners were a way of bringing the Family together both for business and pleasure. Does your family connect over a shared ritual or activity, and if so, what is it?
8. Family means everything to the Colicchios and the Russos. What unspoken rules guide your own communities?
9. What did you think about Saul’s decisions toward the end of the novel regarding his family and the mafia? Do you think he should have handled things differently?
10. Although they didn’t set out to do so, Antonia and Sofia have their own feminist moments in a time when that wasn’t a well-defined movement. What do you think each woman’s defining moment was in The Family?
11. Were you surprised by the ending?

The Family Playlist

Curated by Naomi Krupitsky

“So Far from Your Weapon”

The Dead Weather

“This Is What Makes Us Girls”

Lana Del Rey

“Marching Bands of Manhattan”

Death Cab for Cutie

“Bad Man’s World”

Jenny Lewis

“It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World”

James Brown & the Famous Flames

“I Say a Little Prayer”

Aretha Franklin

“Volare (Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu)”

Dean Martin

“Daddy Lessons”

Beyoncé

“Fetch the Bolt Cutters”

Fiona Apple

“Love Theme from The Godfather”

Nino Rota

Rosa Colicchio’s Minestrone Soup

1 good-sized glug of olive oil^

1 onion, finely diced

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 big potato, peeled & diced

4 carrots, peeled & sliced

Salt to taste^

Dash each chili flakes & oregano^

1 bay leaf

8 cups chicken stock

1 Parmesan rind

1 can cannellini beans*

1 can kidney beans*

1 28 oz can diced tomatoes

1 zucchini, sliced

Handful green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces

2 celery ribs, sliced

1 cup ditalini^^

Handful basil & parsley, chopped**

(Serves however many people show up for dinner)