BAREFOOT. Elin Hilderbrand

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1 READING GROUP GUIDE l BAREFOOT a novel by Elin Hilderbrand

3 A CONVERSATION WITH ELIN HILDERBRAND How did you arrive at the story you tell in Barefoot? Barefoot was born out of one of those panicked, middle-of-thenight fears... namely, if something happened to me, what would become of my kids? I have three young children, and as a mother I am an egregious micromanager I control every detail of their lives (what goes into their lunch, when the library books are returned, are they wearing sunscreen, etc.). My character, Vicki Stowe, is facing a grave illness, and the emotional heart of the story is her fear of dying and leaving her kids behind. What will become of them? Who will make sure they have their cleats and shin guards on soccer days? Who will be there to kiss them when they fall down? I am also keenly interested in friendships between women, so the idea of having three women with different agendas in the same small house all summer long presented unlimited possibilities. Add one very attractive and kind male babysitter, and you have yourself a novel! What makes Nantucket a special setting for you? I have lived on Nantucket now for fourteen years. To quote John Denver, when I arrived on the island at the age of twentythree, I came home to a place I d never been before. Nantucket is an authentic place, which is to say, there is no other place in the world like it. In a country where so much is homogenized (think McDonald s, Target, Applebee s), Nantucket is original and unique. We have no chain stores, no fast food, no stoplights! The downtown is composed of historic homes built in the whaling

4 4 l Reading Group Guide heyday of the nineteenth century, and the outer-lying areas are pristinely conserved wide-open moors dotted with ponds and fifty miles of undeveloped beach. It takes a certain kind of person to live on an island (especially when facing the long winter months), and the year-round population here is creative and resourceful and independent. And it is a safe and nurturing place to raise children. Have you ever considered bringing back a character from one of your previous novels? No. Each novel is its own world, its own planet. When I finish a novel, I really try and finish it. Many people have begged me for sequels... but what that means to me is that the novel is living on in their minds, they re thinking about it, and that is a good thing. How does being the mother of three children affect your writing? Well, it gives new meaning to the words time management. My children are eight, six, and two years old. They are all-consuming. I have been blessed with wonderful help, great schools, and an incredibly supportive group of friends and family. I carve out time to write the most important thing has been to get out of the house! (I do have a study, but it has no door must work on that!) In a larger sense, having children has given me a deeper sense of the world and the human experience. When I wrote my first novel, The Beach Club, I had no children, and I think you can tell the difference. Being a parent gives you an emotional maturity that is hard to describe. Are there any authors you cite as influences on you? There are a handful of writers that I think are brilliant and would follow to the end of the earth: Jane Smiley, Richard Russo, Lorrie Moore, Toni Morrison, and the western Australian writer Tim Winton, whose book is described in Barefoot. They are geniuses,

5 Reading Group Guide l 5 all, and they never fail to inspire. Recently I have also enjoyed the work of Amanda Eyre Ward and Lionel Shriver. What are you currently working on? My novel A Summer Affair is out in summer It s about a woman with four children and a glassblowing business who agrees to cochair a huge charity benefit. Without giving it all way, suffice it to say, her life slowly falls apart... I had claimed that, after A Summer Affair was complete, I would take a year off. My year off lasted for about two weeks. Writing is like a genetic disease... and I can t seem to find a cure! I have started a new novel, as yet untitled and unformed, but the wheels are turning...

6 questions and topics for discussion 1. Barefoot shifts in perspective among four primary characters: Brenda, Vicki, Melanie, and Josh. Which character made the strongest first impression on you? Did you find that your favorite character shifted as the novel progressed? 2. The island of Nantucket plays a distinct and significant role in Elin Hilderbrand s novels. In Barefoot, how does Brenda, Vicki, and Melanie s summer escape to the island allow them to more fully realize themselves? 3. Discuss the character of Josh s ex-girlfriend, Didi. Ultimately, in what ways does she affect Josh s life and his outlook? 4. Initially Brenda resents Melanie s presence in their small Sconset cottage, in part due to Vicki s motivation to include her. As Brenda observes, But it was also the case that Brenda s company alone had never been enough for Vicki (page 4). How does Melanie s inclusion affect the group dynamic? How does it affect Brenda s relationship with her sister? 5. Josh encounters the advice Be careful several times in the course of the novel. To what relationships do you think this warning most aptly applies in Barefoot? To what relationships does caution have no bearing? 6. Given that John Walsh is one year older than Brenda, do you feel that Champion University s response to their relationship is justified? Do you think the university s decision is in any way beneficial to Brenda in the long run?

7 Reading Group Guide l 7 7. Discuss the role of fatherhood in Barefoot. Which father Tom Flynn, Peter Patchen, or Ted Stowe did you most admire when you finished the novel? What does Josh learn about fatherhood by the summer s end? 8. Discuss Josh s employment as a babysitter and his role in Blaine and Porter s life. Why do you think Josh is so adept at taking care of Vicki s boys? 9. Throughout the novel Vicki keeps a mental list entitled Things That No Longer Matter. By the end, what have Brenda, Vicki, and Melanie found matters most to each of them? 10. What do you think the future holds for Brenda, Vicki, and Melanie? How will the birth of Amber affect Melanie and Peter s relationship? How will Vicki cope with her recovery? Can Brenda undertake a new career? Finally, how influential will this summer on Nantucket prove to be in each of their lives?

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