Mad Honey

How did you feel about the way the authors structured the story with alternating timelines and perspectives? Did it enhance or confuse your reading experience?

Who did you prefer as a narrator, Lily or Olivia? How did their voices differ? (As a note, Jodi Picault primarily wrote Olivia’s perspective, while Jennifer Finney Boylan primarily wrote Lily’s)

Lily and Asher’s fathers were both abusive, resulting in their mothers leaving the marriages, though in Lily’s case she is directly impacted by the abuse while Asher remains in the dark.  How do Lily and Asher’s experiences and relationships with their fathers mirror each other? How are they different?  

How much did you know about this book before reading it?  Were you surprised to learn that Lily was trans?  How did this revelation impact your perception of her?

How did you feel about Asher’s character? Did you think he genuinely loved Lily, or did he have some of his father’s abusive tendencies (or both)?

Both Lily and Olivia experienced trauma in their pasts (in particular, Jonah’s assault for Lily and Braden’s abuse for Olivia).  How did both characters cope with their trauma?  How did their trauma affect their sense of self? How did their trauma affect their relationship with Asher? 

What does the title “Mad Honey” mean and how does it connect to the story?  In general, did you enjoy the amount of bee information in the book or did it distract from the main story? 

How did you feel about the mystery aspect of the book? Did you initially believe that Asher had done it?  If not, who did you think was responsible for Lily’s death before you learned the truth?

Why do you think Maya didn’t come forward with what really happened to Lily earlier in the story?  Do you think she deserved to be punished or forgiven? How would you react if you were in Asher’s position?  Ava’s?  

Did you learn anything new about the challenges and prejudices that trans people face in society from reading this book? How did Lily’s experiences reflect or challenge the typical public discourse around trans people?  

Jennifer Finney Boylan said “I hope that Lily’s story opens hearts. All of us have something in our hearts like a flower that cannot bloom because it is held in secret. The adventure of life can be to get that thing out of the darkness where it lies and let the sun shine on it.”  Can you personally relate to that sentiment?  How did Lily’s story affect you?