1. Have you ever had a relationship end in a particularly humiliating way? What did you do? Do you understand why Alison decides to take Tom back?

2. Alison says that when asked what her father does, she usually says that he's a dentist. Is there a piece of your own biographical information that you try to hide if at all possible? Why?

3. Alison spends a lot of time feeling guilty and a lot of time trying to reject that guilt. Basically, she's weighing moral pressures against social norms. Is this something that you've struggled with yourself? How do you work out these kinds of conflicts?

4. Have you ever been in a relationship that included a Kate Pearce figure? How did you handle it?

5. Do you consider yourself a religious person? If so, how much does that guide your dating decisions? Do you know people who have Alison-type conflicts because of their religious upbringing?

6. Why do you think it's always women who are portrayed as wanting to settle down, while men are portrayed as happier to remain single? Is this true, in your experience? What about Alison's friend Cordelia --- do you know women who take her approach to relationships?

7. What do you like best about Alison as a character? Do you think you are similar to her in some ways? How or how not?

8. Why do you think the book ends the way it does? What kind of message does Alison's decision send to you as a reader? Have you ever made a similar decision?