Bookreporter.com - Feature - Bookreporter.com Reader Roundtable discussion of Amy & Isabelle

After we read and fell for Elizabeth Strout's debut novel AMY AND ISABELLE, we wanted to share it with our readers. First came our feature, which included an interview with the author and a review of her book. Then, we decided that we wanted our readers to actually read and discuss AMY AND ISABELLE with us, so we sent out a few copies to four interested readers and gave them 20 questions to answer. Learn more about AMY AND ISABLLE and the four women who read and analyzed the book in our Reading Group Discussion.

1. Books like AMY AND ISABELLE often concentrate more on characters than on plot. Do you enjoy reading books that have less action and more reaction/emotion like this one? Why or why not?

Elizyoung: I do enjoy reading books that are more character study, but only if they're well done! And in this particular novel, I feel the author did an excellent job of conveying the inner lives of her main characters. There was a balanced mix of action and reaction.

Lortea: I love books that concentrate on characters! I lose interest on plot-driven books by John Grisham, or Nelson DeMille. I always want to know what the people are feeling, then compare it to my own reactions and feelings. The characters stay with me.

2. Who did you relate to more: Amy, the teenage daughter; Isabelle, her mother; or another character? Please explain why.

Deneen03: I really didn't feel like I related to any of the characters very well. Growing up, I had a great relationship with my mother, and now I feel as if I have a good relationship with my daughters. But if I had to pick one of them, I would say Isabelle because she seemed worried how others thought of her.

Lortea: I felt closer to Amy. Strout gives us more to work with. We know Amy's inner workings. It is not till the end of the book that we understand Isabelle. I was rooting for Amy throughout the story. There were decisions she made I did not agree with, but I still liked her. Isabelle frustrated me. She reminded me of a friend of mine's mother. A woman for whom the rules of life were more important than the people in it. Her devotion to her boss Avery --- while very plausible --- made me crazy. Isabelle don't you want something for yourself?

Elizyoung: I related more to Amy, the teenage daughter. She was so vulnerable and unsure in seeking love "in all the wrong places." Several reviews of this book have mentioned the hate between Amy and her mother, but I feel this is not at all accurate --- I think Amy loved her mother desperately and didn't know how to reach her (or how to reach out to her to express her OWN needs for love). This chasm that opens between teenage girls and their mothers makes me very sad.

3. Do you think the characters in the book --- Amy, Isabelle, Fat Bev, Dottie (Isabelle's coworkers) Stacy (Amy's friend), Avery Clark (Isabelle's boss who she is secretly in love with) are realistic? Which characters struck you as the most real?

Rosiedoe: All the characters were realistic. Stacy wasn't a friend, a real friend. Bev was a warm and open person. And I’ll never understand how Avery Clark could remain sane in his job.

Lortea: I loved all of these women. Their various struggles with sexuality, friendship and their place in the world. At first Dottie was a little "out there," but by the end I loved her. I loved that Isabelle after so many years at the office finally made friends. Amy needed a better friend than Stacy. I felt she was real, but I wanted Amy to have someone who cared for her. But I guess that is difficult in high school. I look at my students, they claim someone as their best friend, but only know basic facts about them. I counsel troubled students, I often ask "Do you have a friend whom you trust?" The answer is usually "no." The adolescent experience is often a lonely, isolated one. Hence, the recent events in Colorado. I did not care to know Avery. He was such an unkind man. I could understand why Isabelle wanted what he represented, but couldn't he spare her a little human kindness?

Elizyoung: I thought ALL of the secondary characters were completely realistic and well-drawn; I have known someone like every one of them. Fat Bev remained in my mind long after I had finished the book, as did Avery Clark (and that pathetically sad evening where Isabelle waited to serve coffee and cake to Avery and his wife).

Deneen03: The character that I wish we could have gotten to know better was Mr. Robertson. I really feel we needed more background information on his character so we could have tried to understand where he was coming from. I felt more information would have helped to explain how he could have gone from a somewhat seemingly normal caring educator to the amoral creep he turned out to be.

Lortea: Yes, Mr. Robertson. I wanted to know his feelings for Amy. Why did he pick her? What was all this about for him? As a teenage girl, I encountered several Mr. Robertsons myself, but not with the same results. My friends and I would laugh at their attempts to be with us. Ten years ago, I taught with a Mr. Robertson at a girls' prison. Just like the character in the book, he did his damage and then disappeared.

Elizyoung: Mr. Robertson. What were his motivations? Was he involved in the abduction and murder of the teenage girl? What was his relationship with his wife, and why did she leave him and did she return to him later? Did his wife suspect that he was a deviant person? Did he intend to seduce Amy from the beginning, or was he drawn into a sexual relationship that grew naturally from a benevolent wish to help this withdrawn teenager?

5. Some might say Amy and Isabelle's mother-daughter relationship was unhealthy because of their lack of communication --- what do you think?

Elizyoung: I think their relationship is unfortunately typical of teenage daughters and mothers.

Deneen03: I think better communication would have lead to Amy making better judgments. But I don't feel their relationship was unhealthy because they really did love each other --- they just didn't know the right way to show it.

Lortea: As a teenage girl, I acutely remember hitting an age where I protected and guarded my secrets from my mother. As a counselor, what I have heard the most from mothers is "She won't talk to me." And from the daughters: "My mother would never understand!"

6. Do you think mothers are often jealous of their daughter's sexuality as they grow from children to women? Do you think this was part of Isabelle's problem?

Rosiedoe: I’ve never even heard this concept that mothers are often jealous of their daughter's sexuality! I feel Isabelle was terribly detached, uncaring about the stages of Amy’s life.

Lortea: I don't think jealous, but scared and confused. All of a sudden their daughter has a power, does that mean that their power is gone? Isabelle was scared of her own sexuality, she thought sexual feelings were bad, something to be repressed. Most women have little understanding of their own sexual feelings, how can they guide their daughters?

Deneen03: As the mother of four daughters I believe that most mothers are not jealous of their daughters sexuality, however some may be. I feel that mothers are concerned with their daughters' sexuality because they themselves were once teenagers and they know that choices you make can affect the outcome of the rest of your life. It could have been a part of Isabelle's problem, but I think the main problem was her own past and the way it had affected her.

Elizyoung: Absolutely. Isabelle felt that her own sexual life was over in many ways, and that her life was bound by her job at the mill. I am sure it was hard for her to watch her beautiful daughter blooming while she felt she was withering on the vine...

7. There are many background events that shadow the main story, such as the UFO spotting, the kidnapping, the trials of Fat Bev and Dottie, Stacy's pregnancy, the secret affairs --- would you have wanted more detail about these subplots? If so, which ones interested you the most?

Elizyoung: I think there was the right amount of detail concerning the subplots.

Lortea: I loved the story of the kidnapping, it's eerie that a child can just disappear. I felt in many ways that Mr. Robertson had kidnapped Amy's childhood. I wanted her mother to find her and bring her home. As a reader, the Paul/Stacy/Amy trio did not feel realistic --- I didn't think that Amy would really go with Paul. Teenage girls are usually more loyal than that.

Rosiedoe: The subplots helped flesh out the characters. Isabelle’s consuming attraction to Avery Clark was terribly sad. The most interesting was the relationships at the office, the friendship and caring, especially between Bev and Dottie.

8. Just from reading the inside cover and the first few pages, you know that Amy ends up falling in love with Mr. Robertson, her math teacher. The book opens up the summer after Mr. Robertson leaves town. How did you feel about reading a book that is written out of sequence, one that goes back and forth through time?

Lortea: I love this technique. I also love it when a movie does this.

Deneen03: I really had a difficult time reading this book. I think that was because it was out of sequence and I felt like it jumped around a little too much. I prefer to read books in sequence, however I do not mind when a book refers to the past because it can help you understand where something is coming from.

Elizyoung: I thought it was a good technique for this particular story. The foreshadowing about Amy's hair in no way detracted from the ultimate violence and raw emotion of that very harrowing scene between Amy and Isabelle. Even though I knew what was coming, I found that the actual event had been heightened by prior references.

9. In the first chapter of the book Isabelle thinks, "It was like a car accident...how afterward you kept saying to yourself, If only the truck had already gone through the intersection by the time I got there." Do you think there was any way for Isabelle to know what her daughter was doing? Do you think parents can ever really know what their children are up to?

Lortea: Isabelle did not let Amy know she was special or loved. That left Amy vulnerable to someone who would. I think parents can be more available to their children than Isabelle was to Amy.

Deneen03: Yes, I feel Isabelle should have known what her daughter was up to. Parents can't always know what their children are thinking and doing every minute, however they can keep them out of some trouble by making sure they are not left home alone and by involving them in different types of activities. But the bottom line is if a child really wants to do something bad enough they can find a way. You have to try to give them good examples and be good role models.

Elizyoung: No, I don't. Parents can make every effort in the world to be there for their children, and to involve themselves in their children's' worlds, but realistically a teenager has begun to exist independently of their parents in many ways. Isabelle could have perhaps done a little more checking on Amy's academic claims (staying after school for this or that club), but I don't think she could have prevented Amy's actions.

Rosiedoe: Isabelle didn’t involve herself in Amy’s life, beyond perfunctory questions. I believe it's true that even with significant involvement, parents can’t know their children’s feelings, unless the children want them to.

10. This story is told in the third person, so although you don't necessarily get inside any one character's head, you get perspectives from almost all of the characters in the book, some more so than others. How did this writing style affect you? Did you like it or not?

Elizyoung: I did like the writing style, and I found it enabled me to get a fuller picture of each characters' inner thoughts. Since one of the themes of this book is that you can never really know what is in the heart and mind of another person, this was an effective technique to convey this (and the missed signals that characterized so many of the relationships in this book).

11. Which characters do you sympathize with the most? Why?

Rosiedoe: Of course, Amy and Isabelle and Stacy. They were all such sad shells, each with the potential to be happy and find satisfaction in life, because we all have that potential.

Elizyoung: I sympathized equally with Amy and Isabelle. Both were isolated and alone, and yet both were good people who were struggling with issues with which they could have helped each other with.

12. At what point do you think Mr. Robertson crosses the line with Amy?

Elizyoung: I believe he crossed the line when he first was alone with her in the car. That is the point at which he switched from being her teacher to being a man outside of his job responsibilities.

Deneen03: The first time Amy kissed him and he didn't let her know that that was not appropriate behavior. As an adult and an educator he had an obligation to guide her on the right path and not take advantage of the situation.

13. Have you ever had a crush on a teacher? What happened?

Lortea: My father died when I was a child. Like Amy, I wanted attention from a man. I was lucky most of the males I looked up to kept the boundaries appropriate. When one teacher pushed those boundaries, I went to my mother. Maybe a different mother, or a different teacher I would have been Amy.

14. What would you have done if you were Isabelle and you found out that your daughter was having a relationship with one of her teachers? What do you think about the way Isabelle handled it (without giving too much away to our readers who have not yet read the book)?

Elizyoung: I believe that Isabelle should have confronted Amy with the knowledge and gotten her side of the story first. I do not think Amy would have been forthcoming with much information, though. Isabelle then had a duty to report this incident to the school administration, and to have Mr. Robertson fired and prosecuted.

15. If you could give advice to Amy after the affair, what would it be? What advice would you give to Isabelle for raising a teenage daughter?

Deneen03: To Amy I would say you can't change the past, but you can learn from your mistakes and you can make positive choices in the future. To Isabelle I would say that open and honest communication with your daughter can make something good come out of this really sad situation, and for the future not leaving your daughter home alone after school would be a start.

Rosiedoe: Amy should have gotten help, either from a counselor at school or church, or in the private sector. As far as advice to Isabelle, I would want to go back in time and help her learn how to give her daughter open love and support, every day of her life. Isabelle should have seen to it that Amy had the fun a child deserves, a home where friends were welcome, involvement in things that could bring Amy pride --- sports, music, volunteerism --- whatever --- and these things must be fostered by the parents.

Elizyoung: Advice to Amy --- time heals all. Advice to Isabelle --- the exact same thing. Communication and love could have perhaps bridged the gaps between mother and daughter, and all you can do is try.

16. Alice Munro described it as "a novel of shining integrity and humor about the bravery and hard choices of what is called ordinary life." How would you describe this book?

Lortea: To me, the book centers on how quickly life can change. In one moment everything can change. Once Mr. Robertson notices Amy, life is very different for her. She sees herself as someone with something to offer. If only he had been someone positive.

Elizyoung: I believe this book is about carrying on when it barely seems possible to put one foot in front of another. I also believe it is about the fact that you can rarely know what is in the hearts and minds of others, much less what is in your own heart and mind.

Rosiedoe: Fat Bev offered the only humor in the entire book. I would describe the book as humorless, dark, sad. Isabelle and Amy did NOT lead "ordinary lives." If their lives were ordinary, the suicide rate would be extraordinary.

17. What was your favorite moment in the book?

Elizyoung: My favorite scene (for its power and impact, not for any kind of pleasant emotion) was the scene between Amy and Isabelle and the scissors.

18. What, if anything, did you dislike about the book?

Rosiedoe: I kept praying that Isabelle would become a real person, to herself and her daughter. Elizabeth Strout’s description of her ended with "...and her dark, small eyes held an expression of constant surprise." Surprise??? I never felt her to be this way, never...horrified when she heard about Amy’s affair, shy, unassertive, plagued with her dreams about Avery.

Lortea: As I stated earlier, Amy with Paul did not feel right. As lost as she was, their getting together bothered me. I also wanted more about Mr. Robertson. I needed more --- I felt his story was not finished.

19. Would you recommend this book to anyone? Do you think men as well as women would enjoy this book?

Deneen03: I have already recommended it to one of my friends because I feel she would like this type of book. I don't think most men would enjoy this book.

Lortea: I have recommended this book to several people. I loved it! I am in a Book group at our local library, several men are in our group. When we have read books with a similar theme, they do not get it. They get impatient with books about self-discovery. That may just be the men I am exposed to, though.

Rosiedoe: I will be very interested to get my daughter's opinions on this. She speaks often of getting much enjoyment out of reading what she describes as "dark" stories. I don’t understand this. I read a lot, but don’t enjoy books such as this. I don’t know if men will enjoy this book. I don’t know yet if any women enjoyed it.

20. Do you think this is a good reading group selection, why or why not?

Elizyoung: I think this is an excellent reading group selection, particularly for a women's group, because we are all daughters of someone. The mother/daughter bond is one of the most intricate and potentially one of the most devastating relationships we ever form, and every daughter has something to say about it.

21. How did you feel about the way the book ended? Did it work for you?

Lortea: I was thrilled that Isabelle had growth, and her story came out. I was glad that the other half of Amy's family wanted her. The dual story of the kidnapping was masterful. That was beautiful.

22. Did this book "stay with you" after you put it down?

Elizyoung: Very much so. I finished it several weeks ago, and still wonder how Amy and Isabelle are doing these days...

Lortea: Very much. It is a book I will read again. The women were so real, and honorable. I want only good things for all of them. So many of the scenes were so vivid, I felt a part of them. I could see the workplace, the school, Mr. Robertson's car and the woods.

23. If you could ask Elizabeth Strout any questions, what would they be?

Deneen03: Why did you choose the out of sequence style for this book? Are you planning on writing more books with these same characters?

Lortea: How long did it take to write the book? Did the book start out as both women's story, or did that just happen? Also, was this present day or in the past? It felt like the past, but I couldn't be sure.

Rosiedoe: Why couldn’t you let them heal sooner, more completely? Why tell a story of a mother so detached from her child’s emotional needs? Why were they faithfully in attendance at church?

Elizyoung: How did you come to realize that a daughter's sexual awakening could provoke a crisis for the mother? And do you think that that crisis would be just as devastating in the course of more normal sexual relationships between daughter and another man not in a position of authority? Can she separate one crisis from the other?