Girl Dinner

Nina and Sloane are at very different points in their lives, yet they feel many of the same pressures. Why do you think this is the case?

Nina and Sloane also differ in their experiences of womanhood due to factors such as race, class, age, and university standing, but their lives are intertwined through The House. In what ways are their experiences similar?

“You’re a woman and it’s your job to make everything easier for everyone around you, even though nobody will ever think of you” (Ch. 33). Girl Dinner is a dark deep-dive into the performative veneer of perfection and the impossible standards placed on women’s shoulders. How do these pressures impact a woman’s ability to feel content?

The lifestyle of so-called tradwives is trending on social media. What do you think makes this more traditional 1950s type of lifestyle appealing to some women?

Hunger plays a major role in this novel—a hunger to have it all, to be the best, and to be accepted. This hunger ultimately leads both Nina and Sloane to embrace some unconventional methods to achieve what they desire. Discuss how this hunger influences their decisions. How do you think this hunger to have it all is perceived differently by society based on your gender?

Even though men are participating in childcare and household chores more than ever before, women still do the majority of this work in male/ female relationships while also making up 47% of the US workforce according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. How do you see this disparity play out between Sloane and Max?

Girl Dinner is satirical in nature, creating outlandish and humorous portrayals of sisterhood in sororities. What parts of the story’s depiction of girlhood and motherhood ring true to you?

Both Sloane and Nina are transformed and shaped by their experiences with The House. How do you think both have changed by the end of the novel? Were you surprised by the ending and each woman’s choices?

Throughout the novel you hear from both Sloane and Nina. Whose point of view did you enjoy most and why?

Nina is faced with an important position in the sorority that could change everything (Ch. 30–34). Do you consider yourself a leader? Would you make the same decision as her?

What is your preferred “girl dinner”?