'Round Midnight (McBride)

'Round Midnight 
Laura McBride, 2017
Simon & Schuster
384 pp.
ISBN-13: 9781501157783


Summary
From the author of We Are Called to Rise comes a novel about the interconnected lives of four women in Las Vegas, each of whom experiences a life-changing moment at a classic casino nightclub.

Spanning the six decades when Las Vegas grew from a dusty gambling town into the melting pot metropolis it is today, ‘Round Midnight is the story of four women—one who falls in love, one who gets lucky, one whose heart is broken, and one who chooses happiness—whose lives change at the Midnight Room.

June Stein and her husband open the El Capitan casino in the 1950s, and rocket to success after hiring a charismatic black singer to anchor their nightclub. Their fast-paced lifestyle runs aground as racial tensions mount.

Honorata leaves the Philippines as a mail order bride to a Chicago businessman, then hits a jackpot at the Midnight Room when he takes her on a weekend trip to Las Vegas.

Engracia, a Mexican immigrant whose lucky find at the Midnight Room leads to heartbreak, becomes enmeshed in Honorata’s secret when she opens her employer’s door to that Chicago businessman—and his gun.

And then there is Coral, an African-American teacher who struggles with her own mysterious past. A favor for Honorata takes her to the Midnight Room, where she hits a jackpot of another kind.

Mining the rich territory of motherhood and community, 'Round Midnight is a story that mirrors the social transformation of our nation. Full of passion, heartbreak, heroism, longing, and suspense, it honors the reality of women’s lives. (From the publisher.)

Author Bio
• Birth—ca. 1960-61
• Where—Spokane, Washington, USA
• Education—B.A., Yale University
• Currently—Las Vegas, Nevada


Laura McBride teaches at the College of Southern Nevada and lives with her husband and two children in Las Vegas. She graduated with a degree in American Studies from Yale University. She wrote part of We Are Called to Rise, her first novel, published in 2014, while in residency at Yaddo. Her second novel, 'Round Midnight, came out in 2017. (From the publisher.)

Book Reviews
[M]oving, intertwined stories of four women in Las Vegas.… [T]his diverse group of complex women intersect in surprising ways…a tale of love, loss, and the unexpected, unheralded ways that lives meet around blackjack and roulette tables.
Publishers Weekly


[A] jewel of a nov­el. Haunting and unpredictable, 'Round Midnight is the beautifully told story of how fates intertwine in ways we can’t plan.
BookPage


If McBride is trying to prove what one of her characters declares—that if you change one life, you change the world—she succeeds magnificently.… McBride powerfully addresses an important theme, namely, how much a personal choice can impact others and even alter history.
Booklist


There's enough information…to turn the pages, but not much more. Touching on questions of race and class, McBride doesn't break new ground and doesn't go into much depth but tells a readable story that may appeal to book clubs who'd like to add their own analyses.
Kirkus Reviews

Discussion Questions
1. Describe El Capitan. What does June love about it? How and why is it significant to the other characters in ’Round Midnight? Does it change throughout time?

2. Why do you think McBride introduces the principal characters as falling in love, and getting lucky, and so on? How does those descriptions affect your reading of their stories?

3. When June Stein first appears, the narrator says of her, "She was bad for the neighborhood. Things happened to other girls because of June Stein." What were your initial impressions of June? Did you like her? Were you surprised by the way her story ended?

4. At the end of June’s section, Del examines the choices he made. What were they? Were they bad?

5. When Honorata arrived in the United States, she thought that "the Honorata who had lived in Manila did not exist anymore." How has she changed?

6. Augusta tells Coral: "Life is long. There’s a lot of ways for a secret to come out." What secret has Augusta been keeping? Do you agree with her decision to do so?

7. When Coral tells Ada she’s afraid to share news of her pregnancy, Ada instructs her to "give up that Coral thing…that everything-has-to-be-right, my-life-isn’t-messy thing." Do you think Coral is a perfectionist, needing to control everything around her? How have her experiences shaped her? Why is she afraid to tell Koji about her pregnancy?

8. Nanay tells Honorata that Malaya is "an American," who "should do American things." What does she mean? Do you think Malaya and Honorata are alike despite coming of age in different cultures?

9. In the aftermath of June’s pregnancy, she believes that "Del was not the one who had made the mistake. It was not Del who had risked Marshall’s world." Do you agree? What mistakes have been made? How does Del handle this situation?

10. Do you think Del’s actions are justified? What effect do they have on both Del and June?

11. Coral sees her relationship with Gerald as "a private shame." Do you think any of the romantic relationships in ’Round Midnight are healthy?

12. Cora believes that, ultimately, marrying Del "was going to be the best decision June ever made." Do you agree? Is June’s marriage to Del beneficial to her? Did you find any aspects of their relationship surprising?

13. Moving to Las Vegas was "not the hardest thing [Engracia] had done. It was easy to do hard things for her son." What other sacrifices, if any, does Engracia make for him? Do you think she’s a good mother? Do other characters in ’Round Midnight make sacrifices for their children? Were there any that you found particularly moving?

14. Once Coral was older, "she sometimes imagined Odell Dibb differently than Augusta had described him." What did you think of Odell? Did you like him?

15. Eddie, speaking to June about their relationship, says, "For you, it’s fun. For me, it’s the end." Is the friendship dangerous for each of them? Do they also support each other?

16. In chapter 26, the narration switches from third person to first, with June telling her own story. What is the effect of the change in narration? Why do you think McBride does it?

17. Why does Coral choose to share the story of her upbringing with Malaya? Does it help Malaya? What effect does sharing the story have on Coral?
(Questions issued by the publisher.)

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