READERS GUIDE

Introduction

Save What’s Left
A Novel
By Elizabeth Castellano
 

Welcome to the picturesque beach town of Whitbey, where one woman comes looking for her dreamhome—only to find herself in the midst of a nightmare with her neighbors. When Kathleen Deane’shusband, Tom, tells her he’s no longer happy with his life and wants a divorce, Kathleen is confused.They live in the Midwest. They’ve been married thirty years. Who said anything about being happy? AsTom travels the globe in search of fulfillment, Kathleen starts to think about what she wants. And herthoughts lead her to a small beach community on Long Island that has always looked lovely in theholiday cards her childhood best friend sends every year. But soon Kathleen will discover that nothing inWhitbey is quite what she expected . . . including herself.

We hope this discussion guide will enhance your book club’s experience of Save What’s Left—and willspark conversation, critical thinking, and camaraderie along the way. Thank you for reading!

Questions and Topics for Discussion

1. What was your biggest takeaway from Save What’s Left? Talk about the thematic meaning and importance of the title, from simple bumper-sticker slogan to full-fledged existential crisis. What was most compelling to you about this fish-out-of-water story? How, if at all, did you identify with Kathleen’s journey?

2. “Everyone thinks these small rural towns are sleepy and charming and simple,” says Kathleen of Whitbey. But what is life in the slow lane really like for her—and why, in the end, does she stay against her better judgment? You may choose to discuss how Kathleen’s experience in Whitbey is different than longtime local Rosemary’s, recent transplant Josie’s, and, ultimately, Tom’s as well.

3. The Sugar Cube is at the center of the action in Save What’s Left. Talk about how this modern marvel of architecture, which stands in contrast to Kathleen’s oyster shack, is a character in and of itself in thenovel. Also, just for fun: If you had to choose between the two beach homes, which one would it be, and why?

4. Kathleen’s estranged husband lives in her driveway, then on the water. Josie and Dan renewed their wedding vows only after a scandalous infidelity was revealed. What does a “normal” marriage and family look like in the world of this novel? What does Save What’s Left have to say about the nature of love, betrayal, and forgiveness?

5. “Do people ever stop asking you what you do,” Kathleen wonders, “or is that a question that just crops up your entire life?” Talk about how Save What’s Left addresses the issues of aging, retirement,and the pursuit of the American Dream. What are the risks and rewards of following your heart and finding your passion? Is it ever too late to discover who you are or what you’re meant to be?

6. Discuss the novel’s narrative structure. Did you enjoy its epistolary elements (i.e., Kathleen’s letters to Supervisor White)? What other storytelling techniques, from foreshadowing to cliff-hanger chapter endings, kept you turning the pages? You may choose to share some of your favorite aha or gotcha moments, too.

7. Kathleen jokes, “Every day, I hope that I will wake up with amnesia and forget why I’m here.” Later, she confesses, “I love this town or, at the very least, I love to hate it.” Do you think that each of these sentiments can be true at once? Also, how do you feel about these and other for-readers’-ears-only asides? Do they make you feel closer to Kathleen? What are some of her most memorable remarks?

8. There are two sides to every story . . . right? Talk about which characters you rooted for in Save What’s Left and why. Take this opportunity to reflect on Kathleen’s newspaper article and the nature of “fake news” at the neighborhood level as well.

9. If you had the chance to ask the (young, first-time) author one question about Save What’s Left—about the writing process, the (mature) characters, or the plot—what might it be?

10. What kind of future do you imagine for Kathleen in Whitbey beyond the final chapter of this book? You may choose to answer the same question for Tom, Rosemary, Josie, Hattie, and even newcomer Cindy Schwartz as well.

Suggested Reading

Suggestions for Further Reading

Following a long-standing feud, a woman decides to dismantle her home during a harsh New England winter in Housebreaking by Colleen Hubbard.

The Old Place by Bobby Finger features a retired schoolteacher whose decade-old secret threatens to come to light and send shock waves through her small Texas town.

Emma Cline’s The Guest tells the story of a young woman who stays in a Long Island summerhouse where she finds herself no longer welcome.

The Midcoast by Adam White is a novel set in Maine about the uncovering of small-town secrets within a propulsive family drama.

A couple determined not to end up like their divorced friends try a radical experiment in Last Couple Standing by Matthew Norman.

Colleen Oakley’s The Mostly True Story of Tanner & Louise is about an unlikely duo—a college dropoutand an eighty-four-year-old woman—who go on the run from the law.