Book Club Discussion Questions for Liars by Sarah Manguso

Book Club Discussion Questions

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

1. What was your biggest takeaway from Liars?
2. Explore the nature of domesticity in Liars. How do Jane and John evolve before and after they marry? How did marriage make liars of them both?
3. Jane's story of wifehood, motherhood, and divorce is singular—yet, as she often reminds the reader, it's also typical. "I got enmeshed in a story that had already been told ten billion times," she writes. And: "I was exactly as angry as every other woman I knew." What do you make of this dichotomy?
4. What are the key moments or turning points that lead to Jane's realization about the nature of their relationship? How does Jane's anger manifest, and what does it reveal about her character and challenges?
5. If you were in Jane's shoes, do you think you would have ended the relationship earlier? If so, when? What do you think stops Jane from ending the relationship at that point?
6. What emotions did Liars make you feel? What specific scenes or passages contributed?
7. Common wisdom dictates that there are two sides to every story. Consider Jane's: Do you think that hers is the true retelling of events? In what way would this book have been different if John had been its narrator?
8. Talk about how the birth of Jane's son changes the power dynamic in her marriage. You may wish to discuss your own experiences with the shifting of duties, affections, and/or identities in our families as well.
9. Explore the theme of ambition and its impact on Jane and John's marriage. How do their individual aspirations and desires clash or align over the course of the story?
10. What did you think of the ending of the novel?

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