4. Near the end of Part One, Dean Varnadoe cites a Latin aphorism: “Truth is hidden, but nothing is more beautiful than the truth.” Why do you think he says this? What do these words mean to Charlie, and how does their meaning bear out in the second half of the novel?

5. Discuss the novel’s love triangle. What makes the characters love each other? Is their love sincere? Selfish? Self-destructive?

6. Discuss the issue of Archer’s sexuality. Why do you think he marries Vanessa? How might Arch’s life choices have been different had he not chosen to enter politics? What if he had not grown up in a culture built around heteronormative codes of masculinity?

7. Discuss Charlie’s conflicted relationship with his mother. How do you feel about Bonnie as a mother? Is she a bad mother to Charlie, or does Charlie overlook or misunderstand the love she has for him? What does Bonnie do right?

8. Jim plays a significant role in the lives of Charlie, Archer, and Vanessa. How does Jim’s background shape his character? How do Charlie’s, Archer’s, and Vanessa’s respective understandings of him shape their actions and choices?

9. Discuss the role of class in The Fortunate Ones and which characters might be described as lower class, “old money,” and “new money.” What is your definition of “class”? What does the novel suggest about the relationship between wealth and privilege?

10. At Yeatman, Charlie has two influential teachers, Walker Varnadoe and Teddy Whitten. How do these teachers shape Charlie? What qualities or characteristics do they embody?

11. Why do you think Teddy was fired from Yeatman? Do you think Charlie neglected to ask her, that he chose not to say, or that he believed the reason should be understood?

12. Compare the world of San Miguel de Allende to the world from which Charlie has fled. Aside from climate, in what ways are these places different? Why does Charlie choose to return to Nashville?

13. Discuss the role of race in The Fortunate Ones, particularly in regard to Charlie’s relationships with Terrence and Arch. Is Charlie a racist, an opportunist, or both?

14. At the midpoint of the novel, Charlie observes, “We can no more choose to put away the past than we can cease to breathe and go on living.” Near the novel’s conclusion, Jim tells Charlie that “the past is as good as it’s going to get.” Are these ideas contradictory? In what ways might both statements be true?

15. When Arch enters politics, Charlie observes, “There is nothing in this world to which people connect more willingly in uncertain times than the appearance of genuine certainty. If there was one true thing that could be said about Arch, it was this: he seemed so sure of himself that people couldn’t help but believe in him.” How does this observation resonate in our current sociopolitical climate?