The Truth About Delilah Blue
by Tish Cohen
List Price: $13.99
Pages: 448
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9780061875977
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Just as Delilah’s father falls further and further into Alzeimer’s, she discovers that he’s been harboring a horrible secret for over 15 years, but he no longer remembers the motivations behind his deception…or the consequences. Reminiscent of the books of Jodi Picoult (House Rules, Keeping the Faith) and Jennifer Weiner (In Her Shoes, Best Friends Forever) --- as well as Lisa Genova’s breakout novel about Alzheimer’s, Still Alice ---The Truth About Delilah Blue by acclaimed author Tish Cohen (Town House, Inside Out Girl) delivers a touching, poignant novel about one young woman’s attempt to come to terms with loss, betrayal, and forgiveness.
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1. How necessary was it for Victor Mack to keep Lila isolated from friends? Did he overreact in that regard? How do you think Lila’s isolation helped or hindered their relationship?
2. Is it possible for a child to play a role in such a crime as parental abduction? Is it possible for both sides to be at fault for such a crime or is the abductor the only guilty one?
3. Do you like Victor Mack as a person?
4. Why do you think Kira so obsessed with missing children? Is this Elisabeth’s fault? How much influence do you think an absent sibling has on the one left behind?
5. In Lila’s childhood, which parent do you think should have been given custody, if either? What other ways do you think Lila could have been protected?
6. How does the cabin in which Victor chose to raise his daughter relate to the story? Do you see a parallel to the characters’ lives?
7. Does Victor’s reluctance to offer physical affection to his daughter help or hurt her ability to model nude? How can physical cues and experiences children have affect the way they handle physical experiences as adults?
8. Should Lila have forgiven her father? Should she have been more empathic toward her mother? How do you think you would have handled the situation if you were Lila?
9. What role did the coyote play in the story? How does his story parallel the Mack’s story?
10. Is Lila too harsh with her mother, given all Elisabeth has lived through?
11. How does Lichty’s criticism differ from Elisabeth’s? Is one type more damaging to Lila than the other? Has there been a time in your life when criticism kept you from pursuing a dream?
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"A beautifully written, finely wrought, race-to-the-end novel about finding your family, finding a life and finding yourself. Tish Cohen is the next great thing in women’s fiction."
— Allison Winn Scotch, New York Times bestselling author of The One That I Want and Time of My Life
"Tish Cohen knows how to slide us into a story, letting us imagine we might know the pathway. But we are wrong because she is a wonderful storyteller and will surprise us at every turn. She has created a cast of characters who are filled with delicious human frailty and love. If you think you know anything about parental love and misguided choices, think again. Cohen peels away the layers of families and human desires and leaves us with a world of hope."
— Jacqueline Sheehan, New York Times bestselling author of Lost & Found and Now & Then
"What is more wrenching for a girl than being separated from her mother? In this engrossing novel, The Truth About Delilah Blue, estranged parents navigate narrow lines of legitimacy in the aftermath of an awful twelve-year family separation. It is impossible to turn away from these damaged yet engaging characters as they struggle to either erase or face the past. Cohen, who writes with clarity, wit, and warmth, is brilliant in her penetration of the family layers, presenting all sides of the drama by allowing each character to be the star of their own show. This is a book that won’t be set aside until the last page is turned."
— Randy Susan Meyers, author of The Murder's Daughters
