Nine Months in August
by Adriana Bourgoin
List Price: $14.00
Pages: 352
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 0758217315
Publisher: Kensington
Gretchen Fox is a planner and list-maker by nature, perfectly suited to her job as a hotel catering manager. And in her cautious, look-before-you-leap way, Gretchen was waiting until the time was absolutely perfect before she had a baby.
Her body, however, had other ideas. Now Gretchen is discovering what a big difference a little blue line can make—to her marriage, her career, and her state of mind. As Gretchen spends sleepless nights pondering all the reasons she’s not ready to become a mother, she starts to question every other area of her life too. Even her relationship with Meredith and Louisa, her closest friends since their days together at Smith College, undergoes a sudden, dramatic shift.
As she’s inducted into a new world of anti-motion sickness wristbands, emergency supplies of ginger ale, and hormone fueled crying jags, Gretchen realizes that all the planning in the world couldn’t have prepared her for the wonderful, extraordinary journey that lies ahead…
Marrying real warmth with laugh-out-loud wit, Adriana Bourgoin’s superbly insightful debut captures the crushing fears, exhilarating joys, and ceaseless surprises of one woman’s passage to motherhood.
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1. Despite Gretchen’s father dying many years prior to the opening of the book, she still seems to be struggling with the impact of his death on her family. Her pregnancy sparks reflection, and creates an opportunity to connect her past with her present. In your experience, what other life events have this impact?
2. After Gretchen reveals that she has shoplifted, does your opinion of her change? If so, how?
3. Fredrik’s loyalty to his family riles Gretchen. Is she being reasonable, or does Gretchen need to accept that, for Fredrik, his family will always be a priority?
4. Meredith tries to provide a larger context for Gretchen around some of the challenges of balancing work and family. But Gretchen refuses to engage, focusing instead on her immediate situation. Should Gretchen care more about the cultural debate (and start reading all those articles)?
5. By her own admission, Gretchen has “fallen” into her jobs. In contrast, Eliza appears very driven. What, if anything, could they learn from each other?
6. Dr. Mitchell is a source of great comfort to Gretchen—a welcome distraction, even—throughout her pregnancy. Does the gender of an obstetrician matter to you?
7. Should Gretchen have kept Louisa’s affair a secret from Fredrik? From Jason?
8. Gretchen and Louisa’s friendship is strong but also somewhat rooted in nostalgia. Is it possible to maintain friendships, even as life circumstances change?
9. Gretchen has very particular ideas about how things should look—anything from her shoes to the paint on the bathroom walls—and can become distressed if she perceives that something looks wrong, or is out of order. Is Gretchen “just” a perfectionist, or could have other factors contributed to her obsession with appearances?
10. Is it hypocritical for Gretchen to attend church when she has significant questions regarding her faith?
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