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The Red Bike
Abigail Gallagher needs answers. Which of her mother’s lives was real? The life she led or the one she left behind?
When wildlife photographer Abbey captures the tenderness between a protective mother gorilla and her newborn baby, she wonders if she can ever feel the same family bonds. First, she must break free from the intense anger she has carried since learning of her mother’s affair. That anger continues to harm her relationships with men, especially her long-term boyfriend, Ryan.
When her mother is diagnosed with aggressive breast cancer, Abbey offers begrudging assistance to lighten her father’s care-taking load. Slowly, the secret layers of her mother’s life are peeled away, until Abbey has no choice but to face a new and unsettling truth. Can she close the gap in her relationship with her mother before her life slips away?
Can Abbey push past the pain and allow herself to trust her own heart. Will it be enough to repair her relationship with Ryan a resume their romance and make plans for a life together?
This discussion guide was shared and sponsored in partnership with Authorbuzz.
Book club questions for The Red Bike by Tara Delaney
Use these discussion questions to guide your next book club meeting.
As a child, how did you perceive your parents’ marriage? Did you discover that some of your perceptions or assumptions were inaccurate? How did this impact your relationships?
What is the significance of Abbey taking the photo of the mother-infant gorillas just before she returns to Austin?
How much of Abbey’s life outcomes are attributable to nature, nurture or individual choice? For you, which of these three impacted your life outcome most profoundly?
Would you say that your mother was protective when you were growing up? If you are a parent, do you parent similarly? Or are you less or more protective? Why?
What scene made you most want to scream at Abbey? What scene made you most want to hug Abbey?
Based on Abbey’s realization in chapter 20, how much responsibility do you think parents bear to help their children avoid self-loathing?
The Red Bike Book Club Questions PDF
Click here for a printable PDF of the The Red Bike discussion questions