12. Revisit the Thanksgiving scene and Tilly’s relapse on pages 190–197. Why do you think Tilly begins to drink again? Were you surprised? Why do you think the dinner party acted as a catalyst for her to binge?

13. Were you surprised by Abe and Stella’s relationship and their reaction to it? Turn to pages 222–224 and discuss.

14. Stella returns home to her mother after her physical relationship with Abe ends. She crawls into her mother’s bed and falls asleep with her hand on her shoulder, “feeling the rise and fall of her chest” (249). Did this moment give you the feeling that Stella’s journey has been resolved? Has she found what she has been searching for? Why or why not?

15. Discuss the ending of the story. Did it surprise you? Were you surprised at Tilly’s suicide? At the continuation of Abe and Stella’s relationship?

ENHANCING YOUR BOOK CLUB

1. The Gin Closet lets readers glimpse into the world of a troubled family struggling with addictions, abandonment, and death. Explore this topic further by having each member of your book club read a copy of The Visibles (Free Press, 2008) by Sara Shepard. Can you find any comparisons between Summer Davis and Stella? Between Summer and Tilly? How does Summer deal with a difficult home life, as compared with Tilly? With Stella? With Dora?

2. “It was one of the moments I loved her most . . . I wasn’t sure why—because I was safe, because I was home, because I looked like I was doing alright even though I’d been away, or because I didn’t look alright, I looked wrong” (55–56). The Gin Closet ultimately explores the idea that love is an extremely complicated notion, and that this life and this family is all we really have. Have a show-and-tell with your reading group. Have each member bring in photos, keepsakes, books, or any other objects associated with their family. Share a time that your family grew closer in the wake of a difficult situation or tragedy.

3. Have a movie night with your book club and rent 21 Grams (2003). Discuss how the characters in the movie learn the same harsh lessons as the characters in The Gin Closet. What parallels can you find between the two stories? What are the differences between the book and the film?

4. Abe and Tilly discover a dying baby dolphin washed up on shore. The discovery disturbs them both, and acts as an omen for Tilly’s eventual demise. Reread this section aloud with your group. Then read the poem “The Wellfleet Whale” by Stanley Kunitz. Compare the two. Do Tilly and Abe feel similar to the speaker of the poem? What effect does a dying dolphin and whale have on the characters in the book and the poem?

QUESTIONS FOR LESLIE JAMISON