Where’d You Go, Bernadette? by Maria Semple

*Soon to be a major motion picture starring Cate Blanchett* A whip-smart, hysterical dramedy about a family in crisis after the disappearance of its brilliant, misanthropic matriarch.

1. Where’d You Go, Bernadette is told from the point of view of a daughter trying to find her missing mother. Why do you think the author chose to tell the story from Bee’s perspective? What light does it shed on the bond between Bernadette and Bee?

2. What are your thoughts on Bernadette’s character? Has she become unhinged or has she always been a little crazy? What, if anything, do you think sent her over the edge? Have you ever had a moment in your own life that utterly changed you, or made you call into question your own sanity?

3. When Bernadette relocates from Los Angeles to Seattle, she must cope with being a transplant in a new city. Have you ever moved, or even stayed put but switched jobs, and had to adjust to an entirely different culture? What was it like?

4. The idea of going to Antarctica becomes too much for an already frazzled Bernadette to bear, but the trip itself, surprisingly, turns out to be exactly what she needs to get back on track. How do other characters in the novel experience their own breakthroughs? Which character is most transformed?

5. How are Audrey Griffin and Bernadette Fox more alike than they realize?

6. Bernadette often behaves as if she is an outsider. Do you think she is? If so, do you think her feelings of being an outsider are self-imposed, or is she truly different from the other members of her community? Do you ever feel like an outsider?

7. The book has a very playful structure. Do you think it works? Why do you think the author chose it rather than a more straightforward, traditional structure? Think about other books with unusual structures and how their formats influenced your reading experience.

8. What do you think of Bernadette and Elgie’s marriage? Is it dysfunctional?  Is there real love there? How has their marriage changed over time? Think about romantic relationships you’ve been in that have evolved, positively or negatively, and why.

9. Where’d You Go, Bernadette is, at its core, a story about a woman who disappears, both literally and figuratively. Were you able to relate to the book? How and why? Do you feel Bernadette’s disappearance was unique, or do all women, in a sense, disappear into motherhood and marriage?
(Questions issued by publisher.)

The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane by Lisa See

One person brought an actual tea cake!  We didn’t sample, but we did oh and ah.  We liked the book in terms of the story and also because we learned a lot about the Akha people and tea cultivation, sprinkled with history as many changes are occurring in Chinese society during this time period – 1988 to 2017.  Before we discussed the book, some of us viewed several videos on Lisa See’s website of her tour in the region where the book is set and remarked, “Oh, that’s not how I imagined that looked like!” http://www.lisasee.com/insideteagirl/

Lisa See was born in Paris but grew up in Los Angeles. She lived with her mother, but spent a lot of time with her father’s family in Chinatown. Her first book, On Gold Mountain: The One Hundred Year Odyssey of My Chinese-American Family (1995), was a national bestseller and a New York Times Notable Book. The book traces the journey of Lisa’s great-grandfather, Fong See, who overcame obstacles at every step to become the 100-year-old godfather of Los Angeles’s Chinatown and the patriarch of a sprawling family.  Her books are Shanghai Girls, China Dolls, Dreams of Joy, Peony in Love, and Snow Flower and the Secret Fan.

Introduction to The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane

In this coming-of-age novel, a young Chinese woman finds purpose, passion, and the key to a new life in the tea-growing traditions of her ancestors.  High in the Yunnan mountains, Li-yan and her family, members of the Akha ethnic minority, live according to the precise rituals of their people. Then one day, the market economy, in the form of a businessman seeking a rare tea, arrives at their remote village and changes the community forever.

As Li-yan’s family adapts to the incursion of the outside world, she falls in love with a boy who her mother believes is an inauspicious match. When she bears his child, instead of hewing to the tradition that would have her kill the little girl, she leaves her baby, wrapped in a blanket with a special tea cake inside, on the steps of a nearby orphanage.

Through hard work, education, and an appreciation for Pu’er, her people’s special tea, Li-yan eventually makes a life for herself in the wide world outside her village. Yet, even as she finds a business and a husband that she loves, she never stops thinking about her lost child. 

Discussion Questions

1. The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane begins with the Akha aphorism, “No coincidence, no story.” What are the major coincidences in the story? Are they believable? How important are they in influencing your reaction to the novel as a whole? 

- We probably would have thought there are too many coincidences for this to feel true, but because it starts with this quote, we were able to frame it as more as “magical” or a “parable” and accept how the story unfolded.

2. Perhaps the most shocking moment in the novel comes with the birth of the twins and what happens to them. A-ma explains that “only animals, demons, and spirits give birth to litters. If a sow gives birth to one piglet, then both must be killed at once. If a dog gives birth to one puppy, then they too must be killed immediately” (pages 27–28). The traditions surrounding twins are very harsh, to say the least, but were you able to understand what happens to them within the context of Akha culture? How does this moment change Li-yan’s view of Akha Law, and what are the consequences? Are there any aspects of the Akha culture that you admire? 

- Shocking is right. 

- It was interesting to see how Li-yan could hold on to some aspects of the Akha culture more easily than others,  Sometimes, she dropped the ones that were “too harsh” and other times, she dropped the ones which were impossible/or too difficult to do because she didn’t have the right people, equipment, or location.  She did, however, improvise.  That seems to be what happens in many cultures and religions over time.

3. What is Li-yan’s first reaction when she sees her land? Why does A-ma believe the tea garden is so important? Why does A-ma believe that the trees are sacred? What is the significance of the mother tree? 

- Stories of trees have been passed on from generation to generation.

- This is the source of A-ma’s power, her duty and responsibility.

- It’s a connection to the past and the ancestors.

4. San-pa and Li-yan’s relationship ends tragically and causes them both great pain. Is what happens between them fate, or is it bad luck? In your opinion, does their community’s negativity about their union shape the outcome of their marriage? Does his death change your feelings about him? 

- We liked him until he came back from trying to make his fortune.

- He was mischievous.

- We did feel that he loved her, up until the end, and yet he also was a selfish person and was using her for her intellect and potential power within the village.

5. Can the experience Li-yan’s village has with selling Pu’er be thought of as a microcosm for globalization? Why or why not? Are all the changes to the village positive? Given all we hear about China being a global economic superpower, were you surprised that the novel starts in 1988? 

- Yes, it is surprising that the novel is so recent and also that Chinese adoptions really only started in 1991!

6. This novel uses a number of devices to tell Haley’s story, including letters, a transcript of a therapy session, and homework assignments. It isn’t until the final chapter, however, that you hear Haley in her own pure voice and see the world entirely from her point of view. Did this style of storytelling enrich your experience of the narrative? Did it make you more curious about Haley? 

- We liked it and learned a lot, especially in the therapy sessions.

- We were surprised there was so much anger in the therapy by adoptees, mostly because it had not been out own experience with people we know, however, we could understand it and our perspective has been broadened.

7. Almost everyone in the novel has a secret: Li-yan, A-ma, San-pa, Mr. Huang, Deh-ja, Ci-teh, Teacher Zhang, Mrs. Chang, and Jin. How do those secrets impact each character? How are those secrets revealed and what are the results, particularly for Li-yan and Ci-teh’s relationship? The only person who doesn’t have a secret of major significance is Haley. What does that say about her? 

- Until we read this question, we didn’t even think about who had what secrets.

- Doesn’t everyone have some secret?  Does that make Haley less believable?

8. By the time Li-yan and Haley meet, each has been searching for the other for many years. However, Haley already has a family and an adoptive mother. Is there room for Haley to have two mothers? How do you think Li-yan and Haley will relate to each other—as mother and child, or will their roles be something slightly different? What do you suppose Haley and Li-yan will talk about first?

- We loved the ending and were glad no men were involved in that special place at that special meeting.

Interested in more about China’s history?  Here are more authors:

Anchee Min http://www.ancheemin.com/

Jung Chan http://www.jungchang.net/

Ha Jin https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/235773.Waiting

Amy Tan https://www.biography.com/people/amy-tan-9542574