1. Describe the setting of the novel. How do the surroundings create a mood or reflect the thoughts and actions of the characters in the story?

2. What was your first impression of Daphne? Did you think she was a good mother? What about Laurel?

3. When did things first appear to be off with Sky? Can you point to a specific moment in the story when you felt that she wasn’t quite who she seemed to be?

4. Describe and compare the narrative voices between the three journal writers (Daphne, Laurel and Edith).

5. The connection between women and madness goes back a long way. Indeed, the term “hysteria” originates from the Greek word for uterus, hystera. And throughout history, women who have rebelled against patriarchal control and the demands for respectability were considered “deviant” or “mad.” How do the female characters in THE OTHER MOTHER play into this historical narrative? Are they acting out against male control? How so?

6. Do you think Peter is a good husband? Why or why not?

7. There’s a lot of doubling --- groupings of two characters who appear to resemble or switch places with each other --- throughout this story. Describe these groupings. In what ways do the characters double each other?

8. Take a moment to think about the significance of myths in this story, particularly those about Solomon and the changeling. What do these myths suggest about motherhood? How do they inform specific moments in the novel?

9. What is postpartum depression? How much did you know about this condition going into the story? What did you learn?

10. Comment on the story’s narrative structure. How does the nonlinear format engage with the story’s themes of psychosis, depression and mental illness in general? If the narration unfolded from start to finish, how would the reading experience change?

11. When Billie first tells Daphne about the woman who jumped from the tower, what did you make of the story? Did you suspect it was Sky or somebody else?

12. The story relies heavily on first-person perspective and written documentation (such as the journal entries and doctors’ files). How does this intimate method of storytelling challenge stigmas against mental illness? To what extent do you consider the characters depressed or neurotic?

13. Are you satisfied? What do you envision the future will look like for Daphne and the other characters?