1. Discuss the Yeats and Maupassant epigraphs. Which of the novel’s characters do they capture the best?

2. What first impressions did you get of Kezia, Victor and Nathaniel as they gathered in Florida for the wedding? As the scenes shifted in points of view, who were you rooting for the most?

3. In chapter seven, Victor and Nathaniel’s English professor delivers her passionate rendering of “The Necklace.” How would you have responded to her request for a one-word summary of the story? Do any of the characters in THE CLASP share traits with Mathilde Loisel, the woman who loses the borrowed necklace in Maupassant’s story?

4. Johanna tells Victor that she doesn’t want Felix to know about the necklace because “he’s very sensitive about anything having to do with Nazi heritage” and because it might not still be where the soldier hid it. Do you think it’s that simple, or was Johanna up to something else when she decided to entrust a stranger with her secret?

5. What were your theories about the drawing? What results did you predict for the treasure hunt? Make a virtual visit to Chateau Miromesnil and imagine what other hidden surprises such a place could hold.

6. What does THE CLASP say about the nature of friendship? What has kept Victor, Nathaniel and Kezia from achieving success in their careers as they approach age 30? What do you predict for the next decade of their lives?

7. Johanna tells Victor that jewelry is “a blank canvas that gets filled by the person who wears it.” Is there a piece of jewelry in your life that has special significance for you? Do you care whether jewelry is made from precious gems, or is all jewelry “real” in your eyes? Would you value fake jewelry inspired by fictional stories?

8. Discuss the idea of a clasp, which is meant to provide security. What does Claude teach Kezia about the practical aspects of his craft? What do all of the characters discover about weak links and ways of strengthening them?

9. If you had been Victor, would you have been able to hide the truth?

10. What took Nathaniel and Kezia so long to acknowledge their attraction to each other? What makes them simultaneously an unlikely couple and a great match? How are they different from Caroline and Felix, and Grey and Paul?

11. In the closing scene, on the flight home, have the characters been transformed, or are they simply able to be themselves at last?

12. As you read about the life of Guy de Maupassant, how did you react? Why don’t short stories have as much mainstream cultural impact as they did in the 19th century? Are writers like Nathaniel (pitching shows like “The Pretenders” to executives like Lauren) our modern-day Maupassants?

13. What is unique about Sloane Crosley’s sense of humor? How does THE CLASP enhance your experience of her two nonfiction bestsellers?