Discussion-The Hole in the Middle

[Jennifer]

QUESTION 1 The Hole in the Middle:

Zoe tells Sophie: “Every woman has a ‘what if’ guy somewhere in her past.” Do you think this is true? How do you think our past romantic relationships affect our sense of satisfaction with present-day choices, either positively or negatively?

[Jennifer]

Erica wrote: "I think that every woman probably does have a "what if" guy from her past and for most of us this guy was probably in our lives when we were rather young and not truly aware of what would bring us ..."

I agree and at times it's a nice day dream to think about that "what if" guy. But in reality I think the choices we make are for a reason and not to be cynical but "what if's" don't pay the bills, change the diapers or create a home. Although, I might change my statement I guess if I was miserable. But then again I wouldn't look back.

Start reading... I am in middle wondering where the author is going to take this story.

[Jennifer]

QUESTION 2 The Hole in the Middle:

Much of the novel is set in Sophie’s office. Why do you think the author placed such an emphasis on Sophie’s work relationships? What do these relationships tell us about Sophie? Are the power dynamics in Sophie’s office typical of an average workplace? Why or why not?

[Jennifer]

Jennifer Marie wrote: "NEW QUESTION The Hole in the Middle:

Much of the novel is set in Sophie’s office. Why do you think the author placed such an emphasis on Sophie’s work relationships? What do these..."

I think the author shows Sophie's work relationships to give us a well rounded look into her life. Many time we just take for granted a persons home life as the character of a person but truly a person is seen as they are though many relationships.

Showing us how she managed all different behaviors of individuals made me connect more with the character.

I have been in work places and have seen the drama of different behaviors unfold. I think the power dynamics are VERY typical in an average workplace. This showed me that even though she struggled like most of us she took a step back took an account of the situation and handled it in her own manner. She took ownership of the behaviors and outcomes she needed to manage in order to be secure at home and succeed at work.

[Jennifer]

Erica wrote: "Jennifer Marie wrote: "NEW QUESTION The Hole in the Middle:

Much of the novel is set in Sophie’s office. Why do you think the author placed such an emphasis on Sophie’s work relat..."

**I wish I had a snow day =)**

[Jennifer]

Question 3 The Hole in the Middle:

The character of Lillian Parker plays a key role in Sophie’s life, both in the past and the present. What do you think motivates Lil’s interest in Sophie? How do you feel about her interference in Sophie’s choices?

[Jennifer]

Jennifer Marie wrote: "Question 3 The Hole in the Middle:

The character of Lillian Parker plays a key role in Sophie’s life, both in the past and the present. What do you think motivates Lil’s interest ..."

I love Lil - I want a Lil in my life and I want to be a 'Lil'

I think Lil is in Sophie's life for a reason deep down inside her she wants to be her. Independent, confident and with a family. I think that was the missing piece in Lil life.

I don't think she interfered too much. Geezz let someone interfere in my life with such great opportunities and I wouldn't close the door.

[Jennifer]

Question 5: Were you surprised by the twist at the end of the novel? Did it make you see any of the characters in a new light? In what way?

[Jennifer]

Jennifer Marie wrote: "Question 5: Were you surprised by the twist at the end of the novel? Did it make you see any of the characters in a new light? In what way?"

YES - but kind of figured something was up when AJ met her in the restaurant in Paris.

I have to say YES it did make me see AJ a bit different. I was getting disappointed in him but then I saw the struggle - something we all have inside us at times.

[Jennifer]

QUESTION 4: What do you think of Zoe’s ‘romantic archetype’ theory? How would Zoe characterize your romantic choices?

[[deleted user]]

Jennifer Marie wrote: "QUESTION 1 The Hole in the Middle:

Zoe tells Sophie: “Every woman has a ‘what if’ guy somewhere in her past.” Do you think this is true? How do you think our past romantic relatio..."

I often hear people (women) talk about "the one that got away", "the bad boy", "the 'what if' guy", "the one that was pure passion", etc... I've never been able to assign just 1 guy to any 1 of these categories. I feel like I have a bunch of guys that partially cover a variety of categories. So, I have one guy who is like 20% got away, 30% what if, 50% pure passion; another who is 30% got away, 40% "what if", 20% passion, 20% bad, etc... All in all, I think looking back is a waste of time. All of these past relationships shape who you grow into. There is a reason this relationships didn't work out and it's because they were all part of the path to take me to my husband - the guy i KNOW is right for me.

[[deleted user]]

Jennifer Marie wrote: "QUESTION 2 The Hole in the Middle:

Much of the novel is set in Sophie’s office. Why do you think the author placed such an emphasis on Sophie’s work relationships? What do these r..."

The sad truth is, people spend much more time at work than they do with their families. I think that is why much of the novel takes place in Sophie's office - as, that is where she spends most of her time. I think it was interesting getting to see Sophie from different sides - home and work. We definitely react differently in professional settings than in personal ones, so it was interesting to get to know her on various levels.

[[deleted user]]

Jennifer Marie wrote: "Question 3 The Hole in the Middle:

The character of Lillian Parker plays a key role in Sophie’s life, both in the past and the present. What do you think motivates Lil’s interest ..."

I think Lil sees a lot of herself in Sophie, almost like the daughter she never had. I think Lil takes Sophie under her wing because she truly cared about Sophie and wanted to give Sophie the very best. While I do think her behaviors boarded on manipulative, she had the best intentions at heart and always let Sophie, ultimately, make the choices.

[[deleted user]]

Jennifer Marie wrote: "QUESTION 4: What do you think of Zoe’s ‘romantic archetype’ theory? How would Zoe characterize your romantic choices?"

I didn't really "get" the archetype theory and I'd rather someone like Zoe not bother examining my life. Thankyouverymuch!

[[deleted user]]

Jennifer Marie wrote: "Question 5: Were you surprised by the twist at the end of the novel? Did it make you see any of the characters in a new light? In what way?"

Not really surprised by it, I had a hunch from pretty early on in the novel. So, I pretty much kept saying to myself "unless he's cheating on her, she should stick this one out".