Branching Out (21 page)

1.
In
Family Trees
and
Branching Out,
Shelby Meyers experienced how it felt to live in a bubble. First, she grew up in a small Midwestern town, where it often felt that everyone in the community knew her family's business. Then, in
Branching Out,
she married into a notable family who captured the public's attention. What are the similarities and differences of both situations? Which lifestyle was she better suited to handle? What about Ryan? Or Jackie? How did they fail or succeed at living in these environments?

2.
One of the themes the author explores is people embracing their place within a family tree while also finding the courage to branch out on their own. We often hear it described in comments such as, “The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.” Considering your own family, do you believe we grow up to become like our parents, even if our life choices are greatly different from theirs? If you have children or grandchildren, can you see characteristics of yourself in them? Do you hope they'll carry on your physical or personality traits? How do our parents and family history shape us?

3.
Which is a stronger influence in our lives: the environment in which we are raised, or the people who raise us? What is the significance of the titles
Family Trees
and
Branching Out
in terms of discovering who we are?

4.
After the loss of Shelby's grandfather, Olen Meyers, and later their stillborn child, Shelby and Ryan respond and cope in different ways. Do you feel that the experiences drew the couple closer together or pulled them apart? How do you think those experiences will impact their roles as mother and father to their second child? Has the loss of a loved one in your life ever had a profound impact on your relationship with someone in your family—either strengthening that relationship or causing a rift between you?

5.
How does Shelby's unexpected pregnancy early on in their marriage affect her relationship with Ryan? When you realized that Shelby was feeling detached from her pregnancy, did you find her less sympathetic? Was her detachment realistic and understandable, or was she succumbing to fear? Do you think, as a society, we expect mothers to instinctively have nurturing qualities? Do we have the same expectations for fathers?

6.
One of the central themes in this novel is motherhood—as seen in Shelby's relationship with Ginny and Jackie and then in her own responsibilities of mothering her unborn child. During her first pregnancy, she was fearful of hurting her son emotionally—as Jackie had hurt Shelby. Why do you think she was more concerned about the effect Jackie had had on her life than Ginny and Olen's love and support? If you were Shelby, would you have forgiven Jackie and tried to repair the mother-daughter relationship? Do you think Jackie always loved Shelby?

7.
When Shelby left the Chicago hospital in the middle of the night, she was desperate to return to her hometown to be with her grandmother. When Shelby was admitted to a second hospital during her journey home, were you surprised that it was Jackie—not Ginny—who came to her aid? Was Jackie the best person to take care of Shelby at that time? Why or why not?

8.
While Shelby traveled to small Wisconsin towns on a film assignment with Ryan, she met an intriguing older woman named Bernice. What was the significance of this scene? At the end of the novel, when Shelby stood on the lakeshore and thought back to Bernice, do you believe she felt a sense of comfort from their brief encounter? Was Bernice a sort of soothsayer, or was Shelby simply reading too much into their conversation? Was Bernice even real?

9.
Ryan and Shelby both had to grapple with forgiving the ones they loved. Do you think Shelby should have forgiven Jackie? How about Ginny? Should Ryan have forgiven Shelby for abandoning him and their stillborn child at the hospital? How about Ryan: Should he have been forgiven for not doing more to help Shelby during her transition into life in the spotlight, particularly during an emotionally difficult pregnancy? Or for his actions on the lake with Olen? What about Shelby's feeling of responsibility and guilt over her unborn child's death? Is forgiveness an act of love? Can we ever really forgive—and forget? Or is it healthier to forgive and remember? Are there some things that can never be forgiven?

10.
There are many references to home in both novels. When you think of home, what comes to mind? A place of residence from your past, or where you live today? A city or community? A place in nature where you feel most at peace, similar to how Shelby and her grandfather felt about Lake Superior? Or can home be anywhere, as long as you are with people you care about?