Sign up for our newsletters to receive our Most Anticipated Books of 2025!

Book Club Discussion Questions for Leaving by Roxana Robinson

Summary |  Excerpt |  Reading Guide |  Reviews |  Beyond the Book |  Read-Alikes |  Genres & Themes |  Author Bio

Leaving by Roxana Robinson

Leaving

A Novel

by Roxana Robinson
  • BookBrowse Review:
  • Critics' Consensus (8):
  • Readers' Rating (27):
  • First Published:
  • Feb 13, 2024, 344 pages
  • Paperback:
  • Mar 2025, 352 pages
  • Rate this book

About this Book

Book Club Discussion Questions

Print PDF

In a book club? Subscribe to our Book Club Newsletter!

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

  1. Sarah and Warren rekindle their relationship at the Opera. Do you have a similar experience where you've run into someone unexpected at a place you frequent? How did that make you feel?
  2. After the opera, when Sarah and Warren are at dinner, they witness a fight with another family. The two talk about whether the father should pick sides or not. How do you think the conflict makes Sarah and Warren feel? What does this say about Sarah and Warren?
  3. What do you think about Sarah and Warren's affair? Are they making the right decision?
  4. The first 100 pages really focus on Sarah's character, her relationships with her kids, and her life. What do you think of Sarah? How do you feel about her? Is she likable? Is she not likable?
  5. What do you think of Warren's character? Is he likable? Is he not likable? Do you think how he feels about Janet is warranted?
  6. Warren focuses a lot on the feminist and sexual movements of the 80s and 90s to justify his behaviors, like his affairs and his wife's opposition to him. Do you think that these are valid justifications? Do you think that Sarah experienced these eras in a similar way to him? Why or why not?
  7. Do you think that Janet really knows about his affairs, or do you think Warren has come to believe that over time?
  8. As Warren comes to tell Janet he wants a divorce, Janet, and later Kat, have very adverse reactions. Do you think Warren is right to stand by his decision?
  9. Think of a time someone betrayed you. What was that experience like? How did you feel afterwards?
  10. How do you feel about Janet's behavior after she learns of the divorce? Was her behavior warranted?
  11. What do you think of Kat's character? How would you feel in her position? What stance would you take as Warren's child?
  12. Did Warren do the right thing by breaking off his relationship with Sarah?
  13. As the story progresses, Sarah grows into a faithful grandmother and mends the relationships with her children. Do you feel that Warren has the same growth?
  14. How do you feel about how Kat treats Warren after he moves back in?
  15. Thinking on children and their relationships, do you feel like there are parallels between Meg and Kat as characters? What are these parallels and do you think, if circumstances were different that Meg would treat Sarah's affair differently?
  16. How do you feel about Meg as a whole? What do you think of her relationship with Sarah?
  17. The ending is rather abrupt and open ended. What do you think happens to Warren? How did you interpret the ending? What context clues brought you to this conclusion?
  18. Looking over the novel, how would you feel in Sarah and Warren's shoes? Who do you sympathize with most?
  19. What's something you regret in life that you wish you could change? Would you change it?
  20. If you have kids, do you feel like you are living for them in a way that affects you doing what you want to do? Would you ever change your life in a major way, even if they were opposed to it?
  21. What was your final take away from the novel? What impression does Leaving leave you with?


Unless otherwise stated, this discussion guide is reprinted with the permission of W.W. Norton & Company. Any page references refer to a USA edition of the book, usually the trade paperback version, and may vary in other editions.

Membership Advantages
  • Reviews
  • "Beyond the Book" articles
  • Free books to read and review (US only)
  • Find books by time period, setting & theme
  • Read-alike suggestions by book and author
  • Book club discussions
  • and much more!
  • Just $50 for 12 months or $18 for 3 months.
  • More about membership!

Beyond the Book:
  Puccini's Opera Tosca

BookBrowse Book Club

  • Book Jacket
    The Wager
    by David Grann
    From the bestselling author of Killers of the Flower Moon, a gripping story of shipwreck, survival, and savagery, culminating in a court martial that reveals a shocking truth.
Book Club Giveaway!
Win Help Wanted

Help Wanted by Adelle Waldman

From the best-selling author of The Love Affairs of Nathaniel P. comes a funny, eye-opening tale of work in contemporary America.

Enter

Members Recommend

  • Book Jacket

    Beast of the North Woods
    by Annelise Ryan

    When a local fisherman is mauled to death, it seems like the only possible cause is a mythical creature.

  • Book Jacket

    The Secret History of the Rape Kit
    by Pagan Kennedy

    The story of the woman who kicked off a feminist revolution in forensics, and then vanished into obscurity.

  • Book Jacket

    Going Home
    by Tom Lamont

    Going Home is a sparkling, funny, bighearted story of family and what happens when three men take charge of a toddler following an unexpected loss.

Wordplay

Solve this clue:

T the L

and be entered to win..

Your guide toexceptional          books

BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.