Book Club Reading Guide: The Authenticity Project by Clare Pooley
Some questions to facilitate your book club discussion!
No, we’re not announcing a book club. BUT we did used to have one for our paid subscribers back in the day. And we figured that, if you’re like us, when you’re reading a book for book club, sometimes you can get stuck on the analysis part. Maybe you’re not sure what to take away from it or what questions and insights you can bring the the discussion. So, we’re here to help, and we plan to publish some of these book club guides periodically. And maybe we can even inspire your next book club pick.
Keep reading to check out the reading guide for The Authenticity Project by Clare Pooley, a book that Sarah and Mia both loved.
About the Book:
Contemporary fiction
400 pages
Published February 2020
Synopsis:
This is the story of a solitary green notebook that brings together six strangers and leads to unexpected friendship, and even love.
Julian Jessop, an eccentric, lonely artist and septuagenarian believes that most people aren't really honest with each other. But what if they were? And so he writes--in a plain, green journal--the truth about his own life and leaves it in his local café. It's run by the incredibly tidy and efficient Monica, who furtively adds her own entry and leaves the book in the wine bar across the street. Before long, the others who find the green notebook add the truths about their own deepest selves--and soon find each other in real life at Monica's café.
The Authenticity Project's cast of characters--including Hazard, the charming addict who makes a vow to get sober; Alice, the fabulous mommy Instagrammer whose real life is a lot less perfect than it looks online; and their other new friends--is by turns quirky and funny, heartbreakingly sad and painfully true-to-life. It's a story about being brave and putting your real self forward--and finding out that it's not as scary as it seems. In fact, it looks a lot like happiness.
About the Author:
Clare Pooley graduated from Newnham College, Cambridge and spent twenty years in the heady world of advertising before becoming a full-time mum. Realizing that her ‘wine o’clock’ habit had spiraled out of control, Clare started writing a blog, Mummy was a Secret Drinker, which has had nearly three million hits. Her memoir, The Sober Diaries was published in 2017 to critical acclaim.
Clare’s debut novel, The Authenticity Project, was inspired by her own experience of exposing the rather grubby truth about her own seemingly perfect life.
Notable Book Quotes:
“The truth often isn't pretty. It's not aspirational. It doesn't fit neatly into a little square on Instagram.”
“Mother is a verb, not a noun.”
“Hazard noted Monica’s use of a colon. It looked a little incongruous. He didn’t think people did grammar anymore. They barely did writing. Just texts, and emojis.”
“Surely it would be better to live a messy, flawed, sometimes not very pretty life that was real and honest, than to constantly try to live up to a life of perfection that was actually a sham?”
“Everyone lies about their lives. What would happen if you shared the truth instead? The one thing that defines you, that makes everything else about you fall into place? Not on the internet, but with those real people around you?”
Discussion Questions:
Who are your favorite and least favorite characters in this story? Why?
Julian believes that most people aren’t honest with each other, which is why he started The Authenticity Project. What’s something you’re not honest about to others?
Many of the characters in this story make snap judgments about each other before they’ve even gotten to know them. Do you think this plays a role in why people aren’t honest with each other? Why or why not?
Monica is encouraged to loosen up a little and be more spontaneous rather than regimented. What’s the most spontaneous thing you’ve ever done? How did it go?
Monica’s Cafe becomes a community meeting space where people gather together for events. Do you have a space like that in your community? If not, where do you go when you feel alone?
How does social media factor into this story, positively and negatively?
Riley seems to be different from everyone else in this story. Why do you think that is?
Related Book Titles You Might Enjoy:
A Quiet Life by Ethan Joella
The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot by Marianne Cronin
Someone Else’s Shoes by Jojo Moyes
Anxious People by Fredrik Backman
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares
Additional Resources to Dive Deeper:
Claire Pooley’s Book Club Menu: “The best accompaniments for THE AUTHENTICITY PROJECT are Julian’s favorite Butterscotch flavored Angel Delight and Mrs. Wu’s wonton soup with Chinese dumplings. I’m not sure how well those two things go together though!”
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We hope you enjoyed this reading guide for The Authenticity Project by Clare Pooley. Let us know what you think and if your book club decides to read this book, come share in the comments. Happy reading!