Book Review: Deep Down True

For this review, I chose Deep Down True by Juliette Fay.  This was the first book I have read.  I really enjoyed this book.

Goodreads Description:

Newly divorced Dana Stellgarten has always been unfailingly nice- even to telemarketers-but now her temper is wearing thin. Money is tight, her kids are reeling from their dad's departure, and her Goth teenage niece has just landed on her doorstep. As she enters the slipstream of post-divorce romance and is befriended by the town queen bee, Dana finds that the tension between being true to yourself and being liked doesn't end in middle school... and that sometimes it takes a real friend to help you embrace adulthood in all its flawed complexity.

Questions for Discussion:

1. Dana's husband tells her that the divorce is his "best chance for happiness."  What does this statement say about him?  What is Dana's best chance for happiness?

Dana's husband must had been unhappy with his life.  Dana's best chance for happiness is to start over, to leave the negativity in the past, and find your own happiness.  

2. Throughout the book, Dana struggles to allow herself to feel anger.  Is this emotion productive for her, and if so, how?

No, it is not productive for her because anger takes up energy, which she could be using for something else.  

3. Sometimes Dana learns about herself through her children's observations.  How do her children perceive her and how are their insights helpful to her?

4. In times of stress, Dana turns to food for comfort herself.  How might her behaviors have directly or indirectly influenced Morgan?

I think Dana's behaviors had a directly affect on Morgan.  Morgan saw her mom do it and maybe did not know a better way to handle stress.

5.  For Grady, his dad's golf ball is precious gift.  What do it represent and how does it comfort him?

I think the golf ball represents the time that Grady spends with his dad.  When Grady is misses his dad, he can look at the golf ball to be comforted.

6.  As Dana's relationship with Tony blossoms, it becomes clear that he is giving her something that she doesn't get from other people in her life.  What is this quality, and how does it bring out the best in her?

I loved how Tony and Dana became friends first and things developed into more. 

7.  By the end of the book, Dana's life has changed significantly.  How is it different and which of these changes surprised you?

I think Dana is smarter by the end of the book.  For example, that guy she dated (the coach) was a little crazy at the end and she told him to go.  Dana was firm about it, too.  Dana told others exactly how she feels.  In the beginning, she didn't do that, but somewhere in all of this, she changed this and I am surprised that she kept doing it.

Happy Reading!
Melissa