Is She Really Going Out with Him?

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

1. Have you experienced divorce or been close to someone who has? How did your experience compare to how the author portrays it in the book?

2. Did any of Anna’s bad dates remind you of your own or those you know? If so, how?

3. Have you ever found yourself attracted to someone who didn’t “make sense” for you? How did you navigate that situation?

4. Discuss Anna’s role as a single mother. Did her portrayal resonate with you from your experience or others in a comparable situation?

5. Anna benefits from her younger sister Lottie’s support. How has family supported you in difficult personal situations?

6. What was your reaction to Anna and Will’s age gap? Should people have strict boundaries for age when dating, and why?

Examine the book’s relevance to societal issues, historical events, or cultural themes.

1. How does the book critique cultural stereotypes about female attractiveness, desirability, and relationship expectations?

2. Discuss Anna’s career struggles. What does the book say about the gender inequality women in the workplace face?

3. Analyze the novel’s portrayal of the imbalance in physical and emotional labor of women in divorce situations, mainly when children are involved. How do differing expectations of physical and emotional labor between Dan and Anna reflect gendered imbalances in caretaking?

Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and symbolism.

1. Analyze the use of Anna’s first-person narrative voice instead of an alternating or close third-person narration. How does Anna's first-person narrative shape the reader’s understanding of her character, and how would the story differ if told from an alternating or third-person perspective?

2. Discuss the thematic and cultural relevance of Bath as the setting. How does the cultural and social atmosphere of Bath influence the characters and the events that unfold?

3. How does Anna and Dan’s relationship evolve throughout the story, and why is this necessary for Anna’s healing?

4. Trace how each of Anna’s dates symbolizes a step in her journey toward healing from divorce. What does she learn about herself from each date? How are the dates similar and different?

5. Analyze the idea of self-worth being tied to a person’s career and relational status. How do Anna and Will’s views on self-worth influence their decisions and relationships throughout the novel?