MINUS ME Book Club Kit

BOOK CLUB DISCUSSION GUIDE

Born in Maine and named for two grandmothers, Mamie and Eva (pronounced May-Meeve), Bangor's "other" writer (after Stephen King), Mameve Medwed is the author of five novels, Mail, Host Family, The End of an Error, How Elizabeth Barrett Browning Saved My Life. (2007 Massachusetts Book Award Honors in Fiction) and Of Men and Their Mothers. She has published essays in three anthologies: How to Spell Chanukah (Algonquin), My Bookstore (Black Dog and Leventhal) and What My Mother Gave Me (Algonquin). Her short stories, essays, and book reviews have appeared in, among others, the New York Times, Gourmet, Yankee, Redbook, Playgirl, The Boston Globe, Ascent, The Missouri Review, Confrontation, Newsday and The Washington Post. She lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Praise for Minus Me

mamevemedwed.com

Mameve.Medwed

@MameveMedwed

Discussion Questions: 1

Why do you think Annie chooses to keep such important secrets?

Are her motivations justified?

2

How would you react if you were in Annie's shoes and received similar news from a doctor?

3

Should Annie have confided in her best friend? Why do you think she didn't?

4

Do you think it's OK to keep secrets when it comes to protecting the ones you love?

5

Did you have any sympathy for Ursula? Or were her domineering habits too much?

6 7

8

Do you think Annie has underestimated Sam? Has she been an enabler or an overprotective wife?

9

Do you think Annie and Sam make decisions out of fear of risk? What else might motivate them?

10

Do you think the manual in the book played a role other than as a blueprint for Sam?

11

Who would you say are the most risk-averse characters? Why do you think they are this way?

12

How important is Passamaquoddy to the story?

Would a big city setting have changed anything?

13

The novel is a comedy. What impact does its humor have on very serious themes?

14

Would you enjoy the novel's iconic Paul Bunyan sandwich?

What themes of motherhood / mothering did you connect with in the book?

Would you say Annie and Sam have a "good" marraige? Why or why not?

The Paul Bunyan Sandwich: in homage to the late, lamented Coffee Pot in Bangor, Maine...

Ingredients: 1. One foot-long Italian sandwich roll (the closer to Wonder Bread texture, the better).

2. Lots of white onions, diced (the more, the merrier) 3. Green pepper, chopped 4. One large plum tomato, sliced 5. About four or five slices of American cheese 6. Genoa salami, preferable studded with green peppercorns 7. Dill pickle slices 8. A drizzle of olive oil 9. Red pepper flakes Directions: Slice open the roll but do not cut completely. Layer on a lot of chopped onions and green peppers then season with red pepper flakes (you want some serious heat here). Drizzle a small amount of olive oil. Add five slices of the tomato. Arrange a layer of cheese followed by the salami, aiming for artistic decoration of the highest order. As the coup de grace, top with five slices (or more) of pickles.

Voila! You’ve achieved culinary Nirvana.