The Lonely Hearts Book Club

Despite Sloane’s existing relationships, she remains lonely and isolated internally. How does her loneliness dictate her life, and why? What role do books play amidst her isolation?

Explore the ways in which the Racing in the Rain Book Club brings the primary characters together. How does the club start, and how does it evolve over time? What does each individual member contribute to the club? Consider what the club offers its members besides literary discussion.

Compare and contrast Sloane’s and Arthur’s characters. What makes them different on their surfaces? What similarities do characters like Maisey and Greg notice between them, and how do these similarities help strengthen their relationship?

Explore how loneliness and loss connect all of the primary characters. Compare and contrast the circumstances in their lives that contribute to their isolation using examples from the text. In what ways do they help one another to process and heal from these experiences?

How do Maisey’s and Greg’s respective familial conflicts shape their understandings of themselves? Do the characters relate over these experiences, and if so, how? Consider the ways in which the Racing in the Rain Book Club redefines their concept of family.

How does Mateo’s past complicate his life in the present? How does ignoring his past keep Mateo from growing as a person? Consider his relationships with his boyfriend, the dynamic with his mother, and his job history.

What is the significance of Anne of Green Gables to the primary characters? In what ways does the book reify the novel’s explorations of The Healing and Transformative Power of Literature?

Though there are numerous narrators, Sloane is the main character, as the novel begins and ends centered on her journey. How does she evolve over the course of the novel? How do each of the other narrators contribute to her journey toward self-discovery?