11. Helen and Victoria, Carys’ housemates, become dear friends of Greta’s as well. Helen is nonbinary and Victoria is trans. Both of them, and Carys, are queer. Most of their friends in the book are queer, trans, or gender nonconforming. Why is it crucial to the story that Greta joins a queer community? If you’re part of the queer community, did a mainly queer friend/found family group feel familiar to you? Why is it so important for queer people?

12. By the end of the novel, Greta confronts her family about how she’s been feeling and why she is going to make her move permanent. They do not respond the way she was hoping. Why do you think some members of the Russakoff family have a hard time acknowledging Greta’s experiences?

13. As of 2022, New Orleans is about 60 percent Black. In The Holiday Trap, though, there is only one Black character: Victoria. The author, Roan Parrish, is white. Conversations about who should write and publish stories across different experiences are always happening and evolving. Why do you think the author chose to make the four main characters white? Do you think it was the right decision? Why or why not?

14. One of Truman’s regrets is that he didn’t tell Guy’s partner that Guy is a cheater. Greta ameliorates this and tells him in no uncertain terms. Do you think she did the right thing? How is her decision representative of the ways she’s changed from the beginning to the end of the book? What would you have done in her situation? Would you want to know, if you were in the position of Guy’s partner?

Roan Parrish’s Latkes

makes 8–10ish—scale up for more

INGREDIENTS

6 russet potatoes

2 onions

2 eggs (or, to make vegan, sub chia egg for each egg*)

salt

pepper

garlic powder

vegetable/corn/safflower oil

EQUIPMENT

box grater or food processor

tea towel or T-shirt

cooling rack

SERVE WITH

applesauce

sour cream

ketchup

*Chia egg = 1 tablespoon chia seeds mixed with 3 tablespoons water. Let it sit until it forms a gel consistency, and it’ll bind just like egg.

INSTRUCTIONS

Shred your potatoes and onions.

Transfer shredded veg into a tea towel and squeeze into a bowl until all moisture is gone. This could take several minutes and if you tend to cry from onions you might want to see if you can con a housemate into squeezing it for you . Whoever does the deed, you want as little moisture left as possible. The dryer your mixture, the crispier your latkes will be.

NOTE: Do NOT dump out the water you squeeze. Let it sit in the bowl until you’re ready to season your latke mix. Then slowly pour out the water, which will reveal a white substance at the bottom of the bowl. This is potato starch!