A Window Opens: A Novel (43 page)

When the fiery sun finally slid beneath the telephone wires and into the blue envelope of Barnegat Bay, I wasn’t watching. My eyes were on Nicholas, who suddenly looked relaxed and young enough to be my trophy husband, and then on our kids, all three piled in one chair, their tangled limbs dotted with crops of fresh freckles.

I’ll admit, when I fantasized about a room of my own, this wasn’t
what I had in mind: a mossy deck on top of a small house at the side of a four-lane boulevard at the Jersey Shore, with charcoal smoke drifting up from the grill in the yard. Still, in that moment, I was in the exact right place and I knew it.

Nicholas caught my eye and gestured at the bay, the pink sky, and our family. Over the high-pitched chatter of cousins, he mouthed, “Nice view, right?”

I smiled and nodded. The view was breathtaking.

Thank you to my husband, Ethan Amadeus Skerry, who did not read every draft of this book like all the other spouses you read about on pages like this one. Instead, he believed that I would someday have a chance to write one of these pages and that was enough—in fact, it was everything. Thank you to Louisa, Simon, and Frankie, three grouches and beautiful humans, who introduced me to noise-canceling headphones and understood the plight of the horse before I did. Thank you to my mom, Maura Egan, and my sister, Kate Egan, who moonlight as dear friends. Thank you to Jonathan Wayne, Amy and Phil Skerry, and Jessica Horvat—beloved winnings in the in-law jackpot.

Before I wrote a page of this book, I sheepishly, hopefully changed my computer password to “youcandoit.” Thank you to all the people who helped me believe this was true, especially Rebecca Banerji, Tory and William Brangham, Dina Cagliostro and David Ganz, Abby and Ken Colen, Stephanie Gore, Kate and Caleb Epstein, Anya Epstein, Claudine Coto Knautz, Molly Lyons, Harriet Marcus, Claire Martin, Wendy Naugle, Terri Trespicio, and Jane and Eric Winston.

For encouragement, suggestions, laughs, and more encouragement, thank you to my agent, Brettne Bloom, and my editor, Marysue Rucci. You are two of the most talented people I know, and I’m humbled by your belief in this book. Elizabeth Breeden, your efficiency and enthusiasm made everything more fun.

Thank you to the commuters and conductors on the Montclair-Boonton Line, where most of this book was written. Some writers have Yaddo or MacDowell; I have New Jersey Transit, whose horns are the soundtrack of home.

Finally, Jack Egan, your legacy lives on. I hope you read me.

This reading group guide for 
A Window Opens
includes an Introduction, discussion questions, ideas for enhancing your book club, and a Q&A with author
Elisabeth Egan
. The suggested questions are intended to help your reading group find new and interesting angles and topics for your discussion. We hope that these ideas will enrich your conversation and increase your enjoyment of the book.

When her husband makes an unexpected (and worrisome) career move, Alice Pearse leaves her beloved part-time job as books editor at
You
magazine for a more lucrative position at Scroll, a trendy start-up that promises to be the future of reading. As this mother of three settles into her new job, she believes that she might finally be able to “have it all.” But suddenly, she finds herself awash in corporate lingo and acronyms, on the receiving end of a never-ending stream of inscrutable e-mails and spreadsheets. She’s a suburban mom among Brooklyn hipsters, a stranger in a strange land. Worse still, there is never, ever enough time: for her kids, whom she only ever sees in their pajamas; for her parents, who are struggling with life-altering issues of their own; or for her husband, a former teetotaler who seems to have taken up drinking as an alternate career path. When Alice steps away from her laptop long enough to take inventory of her life, she realizes she might have been asking the wrong question all along: It’s not about whether or not she can have it all, it’s about finding out what she really
wants
. In this heartbreaking and hilarious story of one woman’s struggle to be everything to everyone, Elisabeth Egan gives her readers a candid and relatable tale about the challenges of seeking that elusive concept called
balance
.

1. At the beginning of the book, Alice says that a page has turned; she and her husband are “
on to a new chapter
”. What events lead to this new chapter, and what impact do they have on the Pearse family? How do they deal with the changes, for better or for worse?

2. How does Alice’s friend Susanna react when Alice tells her that she has decided to interview for a full-time job at Scroll? Why does Susanna respond as she does? How do you feel about Susanna’s reaction and about Alice’s decision to apply for a job that will almost certainly have a direct impact on her best friend? Do you feel greater sympathy for one of the characters in particular? If so, why?

3. What kind of pressures and challenges do the main characters face throughout the story, and how do they cope with them? Which methods seem to be the most effective for dealing with these obstacles?

4. How are technology and social media represented in the book? Are they presented positively or negatively—or does the author offer a mostly neutral view? Explain.

5. During Alice’s job interview at Scroll, one of the employees says that the company represents the “intersection of the past and the future.” What does he mean by this? Do you agree with his assessment? How do the characters in the book feel about the MainStreet Company and about Scroll? Are they mostly united in their opinions or is a variety of opinions offered? What seems to influence or determine the side each character takes on this issue?

6. Genevieve recalls George Bernard Shaw’s maxim, “Progress is impossible without change.” What message does the book offer about the themes of progress and change?

7. 
A Window Opens
offers a fresh take on the ways we communicate with one another as family, friends, and colleagues. How do the various characters communicate with one another throughout the story? Would you say that they are good communicators? Explain. How does the novel ultimately allow readers to understand and define “good” or “effective” communication?

8. At the anniversary party for Nicholas’s parents, an old friend gives a toast in which he says that the key to Elliot and Judy’s happiness has been their ability to change alongside each other. What does this mean in the context of this story, and how is it applicable in real life?

9. When Alice accepts the job at Scroll, the company allows her to choose a first edition of her favorite book. What book does she choose? Why do you think that she may have been interested in this book in particular? What books do the other employees choose? Are their choices surprising? Does the choice of one’s reading material seem to reveal any information about his or her character? Do you believe that your own book choices reveal information about your character? Discuss.

10. Alice frequently compares herself to other women. Do these comparisons help her in any way or are they more harmful than productive? Alice also frequently reflects upon the past, although she later recalls the popular advice: “Stay in the moment.” Does the book suggest whether or not reflecting upon one’s past is helpful, or does it advise living in the moment and letting the past be the past? Explain.

11. How do the characters in the novel cope with illness and grief? Do they each react the same way? How do people respond to news of the death of Alice’s father? How does Alice feel about their reactions? What does Alice find comforting or useful as she is grieving?

12. Why might the author have chosen the title
A Window Opens
for this novel? What does the title of the novel signify? Where is the title referenced in the book and what figurative examples of“ a window opening” are found throughout? How does the title reinforce or underline the major theme or themes of the novel?

13. What mistakes do the adult characters make, and how do they learn from and correct these mistakes? How do they respond to the mistakes of others? What messages does the book offer about failure, judgment, and forgiveness?

14. Alice writes a letter to her children’s long-time babysitter, Jessie, that she never delivers. What advice does she give to Jessie in this letter? What question or questions does Alice suggest people should ask when they reach adulthood? Do you agree with her advice?

15. Do you feel that Alice made the right choice by accepting the job at Scroll? Do you feel that she made the right choice by leaving the same job later? How did both of her decisions impact those around her? How did her decisions contribute to or detract from her own development and sense of self and well-being? Discuss.

1. Read and evaluate
A Window Opens
alongside Allison Pearson’s
I Don’t Know How She Does It
and Maria Semple’s
Where’d You Go, Bernadette
. What do these books have in common? How are the characters alike? Who narrates the stories in each, and what points of view are represented? Does any one point of view stand out over the rest? What common experiences do the characters share? What overlapping themes appear among the works? What advice do the books seem to offer those juggling a host of personal and work-related responsibilities? Consider and discuss how the books offer a contemporary cultural portrait when considered together.

2. Read Ann Patchett’s essay “The Bookstore Strikes Back” from her collection
This Is the Story of a Happy Marriage.
Use the essay as a starting place to begin a discussion about book culture and your reading preferences. Are you “agnostic” in your choice of reading materials, as Genevieve describes Alice, or are you devoted exclusively to traditional books or e-books? Create your own design for a great reading environment and discuss your reasons for the designs you choose. Talk about how readers can help to shape, define, and cultivate book culture, publishing, and reading environments. What examples of the cultivation of book culture do you see in your own community? How do you think this could be improved upon?

3. When Alice joins Scroll, she is allowed to choose a first edition of any beloved book. She picks Virginia Woolf’s
A Room of One’s Own
. Read this essay. Once you are familiar with the essay, discuss why Alice may have been drawn to this work in particular. Does a reading of the Woolf essay shed any additional light on her character that we could not have gleaned from Egan’s novel alone? If you had the same opportunity to choose any first edition for your own, what book would you choose and why?

4. Start your own book club inspired by Alice. Offer your friends individualized book recommendations. Exchange the books and discuss your reasons for each choice. Ask the people receiving the books to have their own book club and to give out their own recommended titles in the same way, creating a book club chain.

Can you tell us about your inspiration for
A Window Opens
? What were the novel’s origins? Where and how did you begin?

The book has its origins in my inability to find a book like it when I was looking for one. I’m the opposite of an escapist reader—I’m drawn to stories that are relatable, or reflective of whatever my life looks like at the time. I have a long history of using fiction as a form of self help—but all of a sudden, I couldn’t find any books about women in my moment of life: approaching middle age, settled down but not settling, listening in on a conference call for work from the waiting room at the orthodontist’s office. My current decade is awash in clichés, all well represented in books: the desperate housewife, the cold-hearted businesswoman. Thankfully, the women I know don’t fall easily into stereotypes, and I decided to write a book about the ones with the nuanced, interesting, messy lives. I started writing at my daughter’s swim team practice and finished the first draft on the train home from work. I approached stealthily, cautiously, telling nobody but my husband and a handful of close friends what I was up to. I’m terrible at keeping secrets so this book was a major breakthrough for me on many levels.

In your novel, Alice loses her father to a devastating illness. In
Self
magazine, you wrote about the illness and death of your own father. What advice would you offer those who are dealing with a sick or terminally ill parent, those who have recently lost a loved one, or those who wish to help someone who is grieving? Was there any particular literature that you turned to during this time?

My best advice for all parties: be there. You can’t always be there in person but you can find other ways to show up. I was in my twenties when my dad first got sick, so most of my friends didn’t really speak the language of illness or loss—neither did I—but some of them just instinctively knew what to do. One day I was getting a haircut and my friend showed up with doughnuts. I sat there with her, getting a trim, eating a Boston cream, feeling like one of the most beloved and lucky people in the world even though my dad was in the hospital across town, fighting for his life. When I went to sit with him after the haircut, I felt galvanized. I knew I couldn’t pass along the strength this friend had given to me, but I could share her peace and kindness. Isn’t it amazing what a doughnut can do? As for books:
A Year of Magical Thinking
by Joan Didion,
An Uncertain Inheritance
by Nell Casey,
The Mercy Papers
by Robin Romm, and
The Long Goodbye
by Meghan O’Rourke. There’s no roadmap of grief, but these are some excellent signposts.

In the prologue of your novel, we learn that Alice was enamored with books even as a young girl. Was this the case for you as well? What impact did young adult literature have on your life and your identity? What were some of your favorite young adult titles?