The Mango Tree

As a kid, Annabelle becomes obsessed with numbers and counting. She's always trying to make things add up. Do you think Annabelle shed this quirk as she got older? What coping mechanisms did your younger self devise to deal with difficult circumstances?

Describe the role of motherhood in this memoir. How does the relationship Annabelle has with her mother influence the choices she makes growing up?

As she recounts her upbringing, Annabelle also describes her complicated relationship with her father. What makes their bond so complex? How does it relate to Annabelle’s relationship with her mixed-race background and her identity as a daughter?

Throughout the memoir, and especially once Annabelle goes to the Philippines with her mother, we see family members wrestle with what it means for someone to leave their ancestral homeland. How has that played a role in the family and what does it mean for both Annabelle and her mother? What does it mean for Annabelle’s extended family?

Two of Annabelle's closest confidants and friends when she was a child were her grandmother, Josephine, and her best friend, Cathy. These two served very different roles in Annabelle's young life. How do these characters compare and contrast? How does the push and pull of their personalities and life circumstances shape Annabelle as a kid?

At various points, we see Annabelle and many of her family members experience feelings of isolation—because they were not sure where they fit in as they grew up, or because they had moved from the Philippines and were essentially starting over. Where and how did they find community and connection?

When she finds a promising-looking mango seedling in the yard (p.69), Annabelle’s mother, Josefina, tells Annabelle, “Do not touch this…I need this to grow.” What do you think the promise of a mango seedling means to Josefina?

Mangoes—and food in general—play a key role throughout the memoir, showing how Annabelle's relationship with her mother and her Filipino roots develops over time. What significance does food play in your life and relationships?

Annabelle often references the idea of “normality ” (example on p.146); what is her definition of “normality, ” and how does it change throughout the memoir? By the end of the memoir, how have her feelings on wishing to be “normal” evolved?

Annabelle's path to becoming a restaurant critic is hardly linear. First she set out to be a doctor, then she worked as a cook, caterer, sportswriter, and finally a food critic. How did each of these trajectories influence her final one? What winding roads have your lives taken?