Contains some of these questions…

From the moment Addie first opens the door to Phoebe, the two women approach the situation in a very different way: one impatient to know everything all at once, the other trying to take in the truth little by little. At the same time, characters such as Venetia, Andrew and Mrs Baxter show a variety of reactions to the news: denial, excitement, possibility, understanding. That ‘doorstep moment’ was the original seed of My Mother’s Shadow, a starting point from which to probe more deeply into the emotional fall-out from such a massive discovery. Which of the characters’ behaviour do you personally feel most drawn to and why? How would you feel in that very moment?

 

In contrast to Venetia and Phoebe, Addie has a rather reticent personality at the beginning. She craves stability and security and is wary of leaving her comfort zone. What has made her become that person? And, more importantly, at what point(s) in the story does she start finding her courage?

 

On the other end of the spectrum, Phoebe has courage galore, but what is it that she needs to learn? What is her emotional journey over the course of the story?

 

While we can see right into the heart and mind of young Liz in the diary entries, we view the grown-up Elizabeth only through Addie’s eyes and she comes across as a difficult and unpredictable woman. Why, after all that they went through together, did Elizabeth have such a hard time relating to her oldest daughter? At the very end, having read the diary entries in their entirety, do you empathise or at least understand Elizabeth’s behaviour?

 

Are the other mother figures in the story easy to understand? Are they sympathetic or did you find yourself constantly questioning their choices? Shouldn’t Constance have prepared her daughter differently for what was in store for her, for example? Was she right to send Liz away so as not to witness her death? And shouldn’t Mrs Roberts have questioned the source of the baby and then been upfront with Phoebe when the truth was discovered? In what way does learning their motives and getting to know their personalities as the story unfolds change your view of these women?

 

The relationship between Venetia and Elizabeth was very different to the one between Addie and her mother. Why is that and why does Venetia so adamantly refuse to accept Phoebe’s story?

 

What did you think about Phoebe’s choice to become a single mother at the very end? Too extreme? Or introducing a deliberate note of optimism, given the cruel and harsh treatment her own mother received forty years ago?