Discussion Questions
1. When we first meet Marjorie, she is barely present in her own life. Why do you think she makes self-destructive decisions and is so passive? Is she conscious of this abdication of control? What does it offer her?
2. Marjorie is stuck and can’t seem to grow up. But she is also very hard on herself, as if she should already have life figured out. In what ways is she childish? In what ways is she just engaging in an earnest search? Does anyone really know who he or she will ultimately be at twenty-eight years old?
3. Marjorie’s job is terrible. Why does she stay for so long? Can you think of times when you remained in a friendship or relationship or work situation because you were afraid of change? Why is change so frightening?
4. Usually, when people picture former quarterbacks and prom queens, they’re not in the middle of a cosmopolitan city. Is it necessary to get out of your comfort zone in order to evolve, or does it depend on the person and circumstances?
5. Mac is a complicated character who adores Marjorie and wants what he thinks is best for her. Ultimately, is he a villain or a hero? Or is he neither? Why?
6. Marjorie’s mother drives her crazy. Why do you think it can be so hard for daughters to take advice from their mothers and for mothers to offer suggestions in a helpful way?
7. On the surface, Fred doesn’t have her life any more together than Marjorie does. What makes her so much more evolved than Marjorie? How is Fred advanced in terms of her worldview?
8. Belinda becomes deeply important to Marjorie very quickly. Why do you think Marjorie becomes so invested in Belinda’s choices? Is she concerned for Belinda, or is she living vicariously through the eleven-year-old on some level? Ultimately, was her choice to stay on as Belinda’s tutor immoral?
9. We learn a bit about Gus’s relationship with his mother, who struggles with depression and can’t make decisions for herself. How does Gus’s relationship with her affect his actions toward Marjorie? Is what he does patently wrong?
10. On her personal journey, Marjorie has to let go of everything from old friendships to outdated perspectives. In general, how can we tell when something has run its course and should be discarded? Or whether we should keep trying? Is Marjorie’s ultimate attitude toward Vera the right one, or should they both have fought harder because of their history? And why do you think Vera behaves the way she does at their last meeting?
11. What is the symbolism of both Marjorie’s interest in flip books and her own story about being stuck inside a book?
12. By the end, what has Marjorie learned about herself and the world and how to approach life? What does the final climb to the lookout represent?
St. Martin’s Griffin
ALSO BY NORA ZELEVANSKY
semi-charmed life
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
NORA ZELEVANSKY is the author of Semi-Charmed Life. Her writing has appeared in Elle, T (The New York Times Style Magazine), Town & Country, the Los Angeles Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Vanity Fair, among others. She lives with her husband and daughter in Brooklyn, New York. You can sign up for email updates here.
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Contents
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
Flip
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
Discussion Questions
Also by Nora Zelevansky
About the Author
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
WILL YOU WON’T YOU WANT ME? Copyright © 2016 by Nora Zelevansky. All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.
www.stmartins.com
Cover design by Erin Fitzsimmons
The Library of Congress has cataloged the print edition as follows:
Names: Zelevansky, Nora, author.
Title: Will you won’t you want me? / Nora Zelevansky.
Description: First edition.|New York: St. Martin’s Griffin, 2016.
Identifiers: LCCN 2015045664|ISBN 9781250001276 (softcover)|ISBN 9781466850187 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Single women—Fiction.|Life change events—Fiction.|Self-realization in women—Fiction.|BISAC: FICTION / Romance / Contemporary.|FICTION / Humorous.
Classification: LCC PS3626.E3564 W55 2016|DDC 813/ .6—dc23
LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2015045664
e-ISBN 9781466850187
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First Edition: April 2016