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Meredith, Alone
“The brilliant author of this brilliant book” will have you laughing and crying as Meredith,
after spending three years inside her house, figures out how to rejoin the world one step at a time (Gillian McAllister, author of the Reese’s Book Club Wrong Place Wrong Time).
She has a full-time remote job and her rescue cat Fred. Her best friend Sadie visits with her two children. There’s her online support group, her jigsaw puzzles and favorite recipes, her beloved Emily Dickinson poems. Also keeping her company are treacherous memories of an unstable childhood and a traumatic event that had sent her reeling. But something’s about to change. First, two new friends burst into her life. Then her long-estranged sister gets in touch. Suddenly her carefully curated home is no longer a space to hide. Whether Meredith likes it or not, the world is coming to her door...
This discussion guide was written by Grand Central Publishing
Book club questions for Meredith, Alone by Claire Alexander
Use these discussion questions to guide your next book club meeting.
Meredith says she’s happy staying inside her home. Do you believe her? How long do you think she would have been able to keep up that kind of existence?
One of the topics explored in the book is mental health. With many famous people opening up about their struggles, the topic seems less stigmatized than before. Do you think this is true for non-famous people?
Sadie says that she and Meredith are “like salt and pepper.” They’re different but come together as great friends. Why do you think they fit so well? Is there truth that “opposites attract”?
Although Meredith has kept herself confined, she’s able to socialize digitally. Are we different when interacting with people on-screen versus in person?
The book depicts an unstable childhood environment for Meredith and her sister. What coping mechanisms did they develop? Did that past life prepare Meredith for her present-day life? How?
What circumstances would lead you toward a self-imposed solitary lifestyle? Meredith has her survival kit to keep her going—there’s Fred, jigsaw puzzles, Emily Dickinson poems, and cooking. What are your essentials (family is already included)?
Fred the cat is a great companion. Would another kind of animal have suited Meredith’s needs? Is there symbolism in the fact that he was a rescue?
Has this book altered your views on human bonds? Has living in a pandemic made you think differently about living in isolation?
Meredith, Alone Book Club Questions PDF
Click here for a printable PDF of the Meredith, Alone discussion questions
"I laughed, I cried, and I bowed down to the brilliant author of this brilliant book."—Gillian McAllister, New York Times bestselling author of Wrong Place Wrong Time
"A gorgeous, charming novel...Sweet, moving, funny and hopeful, with a courageous heroine who sweeps you up in her story."—Jennifer Saint, bestselling author of Ariadne
"Executed with care, humor, and grace, this novel pokes at the bubble of solitude to show each of us that suffering has a sense of community and with that, the prospect of optimism."—Library Journal
"Alexander creates a winning heroine in Meredith and likable characters in her kind friends... An optimistic, feel-good novel."—Kirkus Reviews