Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. Consider the Shred sisters. How do their differences and similarities impact the book? Could you relate to either or both of them?

2. This is the author’s first novel, though she has written a memoir, The Bridge Ladies, on relationships between different generations of women, and a nonfiction work, The Forest for the Trees, on writing and publishing. How might her experience in writing these works inform this novel?

3. What other novels does Shred Sisters remind you of, particularly in its treatment of family relationships? You might, for instance, compare it to Ann Napolitano’s Hello Beautiful or Jonathan Franzen’s The Corrections.

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

1. How did you respond to the mother-daughter relationships in this book?

2. Discuss the sibling rivalry between Ollie and Amy. Does this competition seem familiar and/or realistic?

3. Can you relate to the Shred family’s difficulty in dealing with Ollie’s mental illness? How (if at all) would you have approached the situation differently?

4. How do you feel about the sisters’ final reconciliation? Do you think it is possible to reconcile after so much has happened?