The Pember Book Club will be reading “Three Junes” this month. The debut novel of Julia Glass follows the McLeods, a Scottish family, throughout their lives and relationships. Its members are Paul and Maureen, and their sons: Fenno, and twins David and Dennis. At the opening of the book, Paul is on a tour of Greece, Maureen has died, and Fenno is running a bookstore in New York City.
Some questions to think about while reading the book, suggested by readinggroupguides.com, are
- Place figures crucially in the novel, whether it is a Greek island, a Scottish town, the West Village of New York City, or a Long Island town. What is the importance of each place and its role in the context of the entire novel?
- What does the author accomplish by dividing the book into three parts with only the second as a first-person narrative?
- How does food weave its way into all three parts–smells, textures, tastes?
- What are the various views of death presented in Three Junes? How does the author view death? How do the characters in the novel accept or come to terms with death?