Clutch

Clutch opens in Palm Springs, during a weekend trip where the five friends—Gregg, Reba, Bella, Hillary, and Carson—reunite. Why do you think it was important to meet these friends on vacation, rather than in one of their hometowns or at a life event such as a wedding, funeral, or birth? What does this “neutral space” of a girls’ trip allow for?

Consider the title. Why do you think the author chose “clutch”? The word has many different meanings, and can be used as a noun, adjective, or verb. Which definition(s) resonated most with you?

Do you have a group of friends that you would consider your “clutch”? How do group chats function in your own life?

Clutch is told from an omniscient point of view. Why do you think the author chose to write the story from this perspective rather than, say, an alternating first person?

The friend group has known each other for two decades, first meeting during their formative college years. How does their long-shared history affect their present relationships? In what ways does the depth of their bond and the passage of time both strengthen and complicate their connection?

The women are far-flung across the United States, living in New York, Texas, Illinois, and California. Discuss how locales—both where they currently reside and where the women are from—inform and/or illuminate their personalities.

“Their wildly different existences were generally an asset to the friendship” (188). Consider the five women’s jobs, personalities, and life goals—is the range an asset in this group? When does difference create conflict and when does it allow for complementary harmony?

Many of the characters in Clutch are in the sandwich generation (caring for both young children and elderly parents). How does this dynamic play out as the novel unfolds?

How do the women’s significant others impact the central group?

Clutch is a contemporary novel, engaging with technology, current events, politics, and other facets of modern life. Discuss how the novel might’ve been different had it been set ten, twenty, or fifty years ago.

Consider the ending. What do you think the author wants to convey about friendship and time?