Tuesday Nights in 1980 (Prentiss)

Discussion Questions
1. Discuss the 1980 "portrait of Manhattan" offered here. How does New York City act as its own of character throughout the novel? How does it change and grow? How would you describe a portrait of your own home, in 2015?

2. James’s first journalism teacher claims that there is "influence in oddity." How do we find ways to absorb difference into our identity? Discuss James’s complex relationship to his synesthesia.

3. Like James, we all have a "Running List of Worries." What do think would be on Lucy’s or Raul’s list? Marge’s or Arlene’s? Why do you think it is so much easier to internalize our regrets over our accomplishments?

4. There is a perverse comfort afforded to those who share tragedy, like Franca’s resistance group or John Lennon’s mourners, that is inaccessible to those who suffer in solitude, like Raul. Where and how do you think Raul finally finds a similar kind of recognition?

5. Discuss James’s relationship to art commercialization as it swarms up around him. Why does his black-and-white stance on separating art from currency fade to gray?

6. For these characters, there is often a wide gap between perception and reality. Do you think Manhattan culture perpetuates this gap? Why or why not?

7. When Raul paints Franca, she asks him not to paint the "bad parts," but Raul becomes fixated on the flaws that surround him. Discuss how these fragments can make up a beautiful whole, or even act as a whole themselves. How does this resonate throughout the novel?

8. Discuss the role of fate and timing in the story, especially as it relates to Winona’s New Year’s Eve party. How much agency do these characters really have?

9. Raul’s father plays him a scratched recording of "Little Child" by the Beatles before professing that "the scratches are what make a life." Do you agree? Why do you think the author chose "Little Child" for this moment?

10. When she moves to New York, Lucy wants a life of momentum, change, and propulsion. Do you think she feels the same at the end? Do you agree with Raul that she doesn’t yet know how to "need herself"? What does that mean?

11. After breaking up with Lucy, Raul realizes that "memories of sweet times now felt sour." In the novel, how does memory shift to reflect shame and regret, and how does that extend to Raul and Franca’s siblinghood? James and Marge’s marriage?

12. James insists that every work of art must be a journey, filled with associative power, while Raul wonders if it is possible to begin with a complete idea already in hand. What do you think, and why?

13. Discuss the symbolism of James’s white suit. What does the black stain mean?

14. Lucy often compartmentalizes herself, neatly splitting her identity between her girlhood in Idaho and her womanhood in the city. Discuss the inherent disconnect here. In the end, how do these character learn to reconcile each part of themselves?

(Questions issued by Gallery/Scout Press at Simon & Schuster.)

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