57 pages • 1 hour read
Madwoman
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Book Club Questions
General Impressions
Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.
1. What aspects of the novel did you find most interesting?
2. How did the relationship between Clove and her mother make you feel while reading?
3. What were your initial reactions to Clove and Jane’s friendship?
Personal Reflection and Connection
Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.
1. At the novel’s end, Clove and Jane create an Instagram post to exonerate Clove’s mother. Have you ever used or seen others use social media to reveal the truth or right a wrong?
2. Bieker’s novel uses the outdated, offensive term “madwoman” in its title. Have you seen this term be used to classify women today? If so, how?
3. Imagine needing to disappear for your safety. Would you inform the people in your life about your past? Why or why not?
4. Have you ever felt a connection in your life similar to the connection between Clove and Jane? How did that relationship evolve and grow?
Societal and Cultural Context
Examine the book’s relevance to societal issues, historical events, or cultural themes.
1. What commentary does the novel provide about domestic abuse and how society treats abusers versus survivors?
2. Reflect on the novel’s settings on the West Coast and Hawaii. How do these locations impact the events in the novel?
3. Clove’s mother ends up imprisoned for a crime she didn’t commit. Why do Clove and Jane feel the need to lie to secure her release, rather than simply telling the truth? What does this say about the American criminal justice system?
Literary Analysis
Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and symbolism.
1. Reflect on the author’s use of flashbacks in the narrative, particularly to depict violence and abuse. What makes these scenes, particularly their emotional impact, successful?
2. Clove is a character with many contradictory impulses and behaviors. How does the novel develop a believable portrait of a flawed person? What narrative techniques does Bieker use to help create authenticity in Clove’s characterization?
3. Madwoman is mostly told in first person, with some instances of second-person direct address. How does its point of view help to clarify or impede the novel’s key themes? What is the narrative effect of Bieker’s choice to include a direct address to Clove’s mother throughout?
4. Consider the unreliability of the narration throughout. What effect does this unreliability achieve? How does this support the novel’s themes?
Creative Engagement
Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.
1. Write a letter in the style of the novel’s letters, but from Jane/Celine to her mother, Christina, instead. How does the content, tone, and mood of the letter change, compared to Clove’s perspective?
2. Imagine a version of this novel in which you know the twist—that Clove was the one who killed her father, not her mother—from the very start. How would this knowledge change your understanding of the characters and their various arcs?
3. At the novel’s end, Clove is hopeful for a reconciled relationship with her mother. Imagine a sequel focused on the mother and daughter repairing their relationship. What do you think this process would look like?
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