Adams Morgan Fugue
By Alex Fardon
". . . powerful, thoughtful, and tender . . . An impressive literary novel filled with both searing regret and stirring hope." - Kirkus Reviews
A retired lawyer, an unlicensed contractor, and an ex-ballplayer walk into a bar . . . and transform their neighborhood.
With a dark secret weighing heavily on his conscience, former government lawyer Oliver Bartholomew teams with two buddies to perform random acts of kindness in their Adams Morgan, DC, neighborhood. Sid is a brash but tender-hearted contractor who recently lost all but his shorts in a comically botched remodel. PJ is a former pro baseball player pining for the magic he once felt at the plate. The Squad meets nightly at Gary’s Bar & Grill and grapples with everything from mistreated dogs to broken school windows.
But when a ruthless investor fund threatens to drive the neighborhood’s beloved pizzeria from business, the men are utterly stumped by their new mission—that is, until Oliver’s old college flame, Rose, arrives for what was supposed to be a day visit. Now, bolstered by Rose’s bighearted spirit and real-world savvy, the Squad must rally their neighbors to action.
And Rose and Oliver must discover if, despite the tragedy that drove them apart long ago, they are meant to be together after all.
For fans of Fredrik Backman, Kent Haruf, and Virginia Evans, Adams Morgan Fugue is a neighborhood love story, an uplifting and often funny novel of friendship, community, and second chance romance that celebrates the revolutionary power of showing up for the people around you.
To save the world, begin at home.
Discussion questions provided by DartFrog Books.
Thank you for spending time with Rose and the Squad. If you’d like me to meet with your book club, please contact me via my website: AdamsMorganFugue.com or at alexfardon@comcast.net.
Book club questions for Adams Morgan Fugue by Alex Fardon
Use these discussion questions to guide your next book club meeting.
Oliver gets the crowd at the rally to identify themselves as the collective hero of the story. Who do you think is the hero of this story?
Rose, Oliver, Sid, and PJ have each suffered at least one major loss by the time the novel begins. How has each of them responded to that loss?
Rose is consumed by the past. Oliver focuses almost exclusively on the future, insisting the past doesn’t matter. How does that change for each of them, and why?
Reading this book with your club?
Access these questions right on your club's meeting page on Bookclubs — no more copy-pasting into a group text.
Create My ClubWhat do you think about Sid’s action in the scene “Thunder Dog”? Would you have responded differently than PJ does? If so, how?
How would you describe Oliver’s leadership style? Rose’s? PJ’s?
What do you see as Quill’s future?
How is the concept of the “fugue” used in this story?
Rose rejects the interstate, preferring the “blue highways.” Do you sometimes choose to take the slow and scenic route when travelling? If so, what are things you’ve seen while doing that that you would never have seen from the interstate?
Several real events referenced in the novel took place on the dates they also occur in the story. How many of these can you identify?
On the first page, Professor G alerts his students to his use of alliteration. Did you see (hear) alliteration and consonance at work in certain places in the novel? What makes the repetition of sound appealing?
A particular primary color keeps showing up in the story. Did you notice? (A prior question contains a clue as to which color.)
Would you join a “Squad” in your own neighborhood? If so, what problems would you tackle? How important is your neighborhood in your life?
Adams Morgan Fugue Book Club Questions PDF
Download a printable PDF of these discussion questions to bring to your meeting.