Amazing Grace Adams

Grace’s story takes place over the course of a single day. However, the novel is not limited to the events of this day. How does the novel’s nonlinear structure illustrate Grace’s relationship with time?

What is Grace’s relationship with loss? What losses has she experienced throughout her life? How have these losses challenged the way that Grace once saw herself?

When Grace is 28, she tells both Ben Kerr and her television producer that she doesn’t want children. What do her declarations about motherhood reveal about her character? Why is Grace resistant to starting a family? How does this resistance shape her relationships with Ben, Lotte, and Bea?

Grace is a polyglot who loves language and learning. However, in the narrative present, she struggles to communicate with her loved ones. In what ways does language fail Grace? What events and experiences feel difficult for Grace to articulate to others and to herself, and why?

Although Grace chose to become a mother, she often tells herself that she is a bad mother. What evidence does she use to support this claim about her mothering capacities? Why does she resist motherhood as her identity, despite having birthed two daughters? Why does she struggle to see the positive aspects of her family life?

How does Grace’s relationship with Lotte drive the novel’s central conflicts? How does their strained dynamic propel the narrative from start to finish?

Grace is one of a string of middle-aged female protagonists in the 2020s publishing market. How does Grace compare to her counterparts? Contrast Grace’s character and evolution to those of characters like her. How is Grace different? Does she defy or confirm tropes about her sex and age?

Grace and Ben’s relationship begins as a heated affair. How does their love evolve over time? In what ways is the couple attached to past iterations of their relationship? How do loss and tragedy alter their romantic and marital dynamic?