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Everything's Fine
But when Jess finds herself the sole Black woman on the floor, overlooked and underestimated, it’s Josh who shows up for her in surprising—if imperfect—ways. Before long, an unlikely friendship—one tinged with undeniable chemistry—forms between the two. A friendship that gradually, and then suddenly, turns into an electrifying romance that shocks them both.
Despite their differences, the force of their attraction propels the relationship forward, and Jess begins to question whether it’s more important to be happy than right. But then it’s 2016, and the cultural and political landscape shifts underneath them. And Jess, who is just beginning to discover who she is and who she has the right to be, is forced to ask herself what she’s willing to compromise for love and whether, in fact, everything’s fine.
Book club questions for Everything's Fine by Cecilia Rabess
Use these discussion questions to guide your next book club meeting.
What was your initial impression of Jess? Of Josh? How did your impression of the characters change over the course of the book?
How does the relationship between the two main characters evolve over time?
Jess and Josh have very different relationships with money; how do their relationships with money affect each of their choices at work, in relationships (with family, friends, romantically), and in other areas of their lives?
Jess struggles with defining what it means to be successful. How does her definition of success change over the course of the book? How would the different people in her life—Josh, her father, her friends—define success?
The novel is set partially in the world of investment banking and finance. How does this setting contribute to the themes and conflicts in the book?
Are the characters’ political identities portrayed in a realistic way?
Jess is a Black character who moves through the world in predominantly white spaces. She grew up in Nebraska, has mainly white friends, and then, after graduating, works at companies that aren’t very diverse. As Jess evolves and matures over the course of the book, how do you think her relationship with her Blackness changes?
Jess was never fully open with her father about the details of her life in New York. If her father had lived to see Jess at the end of the book—and if Jess had filled him on her life—what do you think he’d have made of various aspects of her life? Do you think his assessment would have aligned with Jess’s expectation of said assessment?
Everything’s Fine is not a traditional “will they, won’t they” narrative, but more a “should they, shouldn’t they,” story. Do you think the author takes a clear position on whether Jess and Josh should or shouldn’t be together? Do you think they should or shouldn’t be together?
Do you think Jess and Josh’s relationship will survive? Where do you see them—as individuals or as a couple—in the years after the book ends?
After finishing the book, how would you categorize it? Did the book—and the love story within it—align with your expectations? In which ways—if any—did the book subvert your expectations?
Everything's Fine Book Club Questions PDF
Click here for a printable PDF of the Everything's Fine discussion questions
“Extraordinarily brave...plain funny as hell, too.” —Zakiya Dalila Harris, New York Times bestselling author of The Other Black Girl
“A subtle, ironic, wise, state-of-the-nation novel, sharp enough to draw blood, hidden inside a moving, intimate, sincere and very real love story--or vice versa.” —Nick Hornby