Meet Me in the Garden Book Club Questions
by Nina LaCour
These questions assume everyone has finished the book and contain spoilers, including the ending.
Meet Me in the Garden gives readers a lot to hold on to: hard choices, family secrets, and love that resists easy labels. That combination makes it a natural book club choice. Odette's story leaves room for disagreement, especially around the decisions women make when their options are limited, so you'll find plenty to untangle together.
These questions are meant as jumping off points. You don't need to answer them in order or cover all of them in one sitting. Pick what feels alive to your group, let different perspectives change how you see Odette, and let the conversation wander where it wants to go.
Love, Loss, and Marriage
- 1.Did you agree with Odette's decision to accept Cyril's proposal after Hattie told her there was no future for them, or should she have fought for a different life?
- 2.Do you think the kiss between Odette and Ginny was truly 'a goodbye before we started,' or would Odette have pursued something more if Ginny weren't leaving? How did that kiss compare to what Odette had with Hattie?
- 3.When Felix asked Odette whether doing what she wanted felt good and she thought, 'What if what I want is dangerous?' did you understand her longing to be about Ginny, about art, or about both? Should she have told Felix the truth?
- 4.What did The Price of Salt mean to Odette as she read it while suppressing her feelings for Ginny and flashing back to Hattie measuring her waist? Did the novel give her a language for her desire or only make it harder?
- 5.Odette admits to herself, 'Twice, I've married men I don't love in the right way.' Did you think she was being fair to Felix by marrying him and building a life in Willowbrook, even though she didn't love him the way she loved the women she desired?
Secrets and Family
- 6.When Delphine wrote that she and Bill were going to pass as white and asked Odette not to contact her, did you blame Bill for persuading her, or did you see it as Delphine's own choice?
- 7.How did your view of Maman change when Odette discovered Papa was buried in an unmarked hospital grave despite Maman saying she 'took care of everything'? Was Odette's confrontation at the last family dinner justified?
- 8.Why do you think Claire chose to hide seeing Delphine at Robinson's, and was Odette's angry confrontation fair? Did Claire's miscarriage during that argument change how you judged either sister?
- 9.When Delphine reappeared barefoot on Crenshaw Boulevard and smeared lipstick around her mouth before running from Odette, did the scene feel more like a story about mental illness or about how family secrets and passing have finally caught up with her?
- 10.Do you think Odette was right to tell Delphine's old neighbors that Delphine died of an infection? Given that Delphine asked for that erasure, was honoring her wish an act of love or a betrayal of the truth?
Mothers and Caretaking
- 11.Did Odette do the right thing by bringing Nathalie home from the laundromat and later letting Claire become her caretaker, especially after Claire admitted she sometimes wondered whether Odette should be Nathalie's mother?
- 12.When Delphine begged Odette to tell Nathalie she was dead, did you agree with Odette's refusal? What does that request reveal about Delphine's state of mind and her love for her daughter?
Departures and Goodbyes
- 13.When Odette bought the Studebaker after her sisters declined the late show, did you see it as an empowering choice or a rash, impulsive escape? Did Adele's response—giving her a year to earn the money back—change your view?
- 14.In the final section, Odette and Adele send the children off on the Sunset Limited with Mr. Freeman, the porter who knew the children's father. Did that departure feel like a hopeful continuation of family or a bittersweet echo of the many leavings and goodbyes throughout the novel?