Reading Group Guides: Dear Evelyn

Reading Guide: Dear Evelyn

 

1. The novel takes place more from Harry’s perspective than Evelyn’s, especially towards the end. How do you think Evelyn feels about her family situation after she leaves?

2. Dear Evelyn is an intensely personal story, but the era they grew up in shapes the characters’ choices—particularly Evelyn’s being a housewife. How do social forces effect this marriage? What would Harry and Evelyn’s relationship look like if they’d come of age in our own time?

3. What might Harry and Evelyn’s daughters think of their parents’ relationship?

4. Harry is clearly traumatized by his wartime experiences, but in the book he rarely speaks or even thinks about them after the fact. How does this affect his relationship with Evelyn?

5. Does Evelyn’s anger towards her father look anything like her anger towards Harry? How is it different?

6. If you could ask the author one question, what would it be?