A modern classic, Housekeeping is the story of Ruth and her younger sister, Lucille, who grow up haphazardly, first under the care of their competent grandmother, then of two comically bumbling great-aunts, and finally of Sylvie, their eccentric and remote aunt. The family house is in the small Far West town of Fingerbone set on a glacial lake, the same lake where their grandfather died in a spectacular train wreck, and their mother drove off a cliff to her death. It is a town "chastened by an outsized landscape and extravagant weather, and chastened again by an awareness that the whole of human history had occurred elsewhere." Ruth and Lucille's struggle toward adulthood beautifully illuminates the price of loss and survival, and the dangerous and deep undertow of transience.

Suggested Book Club Questions for Housekeeping: A Novel (Fiction)

The following book club questions provide a starting point for creating a reading group discussion on Housekeeping:

• Did Marilynne Robinson emphasize any specific themes throughout Housekeeping? What do you think Marilynne Robinson is trying to explain with this theme?
• What was unique about the setting of Housekeeping and how did it affect the storyline?
• Could you relate to any of the characters? If so, which ones and why?
• How do characters change or learn throughout Housekeeping? What events caused these changes? Have you or someone you know experienced the same thing?
• How does Housekeeping reveal Marilynne Robinson's own perspectives about people and the world? For a lively discussion, describe why you think Marilynne Robinson is liberal or conservative.
• Did certain parts of Housekeeping affect you emotionally? Why did it evoke those emotions?
• Did Marilynne Robinson's point of view on things lend new perspective to your own view of the world?

Suggested Book Club Questions for Housekeeping: A Novel (Non-fiction)

The following book club questions provide a starting point for creating a reading group discussion on Housekeeping:

• Did Marilynne Robinson make persuasive arguments in Housekeeping? Did Housekeeping change or reinforce your opinion on the subject?
• What did you learn from Housekeeping?
• How does Marilynne Robinson present the information and did you enjoy it?
• How is Marilynne Robinson biased within Housekeeping? Is there a political slant to what is being discussed and how does it impact the book?
• What, if anything, does Housekeeping make you want to read next? Why?