BKMT READING GUIDES
One Day in December: A Novel
by Josie Silver
Paperback : 416 pages
115 clubs reading this now
8 members have read this book
“Get ready to be swept up in a whirlwind romance. It absolutely charmed me.”—Reese Witherspoon
“Josie Silver writes with a warmth so palpable her characters sneak their way into your heart and stay ...
Introduction
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A Reese Witherspoon x Hello Sunshine Book Club Pick
“Get ready to be swept up in a whirlwind romance. It absolutely charmed me.”—Reese Witherspoon
“Josie Silver writes with a warmth so palpable her characters sneak their way into your heart and stay for a long time.”—Jill Santopolo, New York Times-bestselling author of The Light We Lost
Two people. Ten chances. One unforgettable love story.
Laurie is pretty sure love at first sight doesn't exist anywhere but the movies. But then, through a misted-up bus window one snowy December day, she sees a man who she knows instantly is the one. Their eyes meet, there's a moment of pure magic...and then her bus drives away.
Certain they're fated to find each other again, Laurie spends a year scanning every bus stop and cafe in London for him. But she doesn't find him, not when it matters anyway. Instead they "reunite" at a Christmas party, when her best friend Sarah giddily introduces her new boyfriend to Laurie. It's Jack, the man from the bus. It would be.
What follows for Laurie, Sarah and Jack is ten years of friendship, heartbreak, missed opportunities, roads not taken, and destinies reconsidered. One Day in December is a joyous, heartwarming and immensely moving love story to escape into and a reminder that fate takes inexplicable turns along the route to happiness.
Discussion Questions
1. How would you describe the connection Laurie felt upon first seeing Jack? How do you think he perceived her when he saw her from the bus stop? Have you ever felt a similar connection with someone?2. Why didn’t Laurie tell Sarah that Jack was the person she’d been looking for?
3. How similar are Laurie and Sarah? In what ways do their personalities differ? Which character do you identify with?
4. Why do you think Jack doesn’t admit to Laurie that he remembers her from the bus stop?
5. Should Sarah have noticed the tension between Laurie and Jack?
6. Is it realistic for Laurie and Jack to try to be friends considering their feelings for each other? Why do you think they try so hard to remain friendly?
7. How does Laurie’s relationship with Oscar compare to her relationship with Jack? Is it possible for her to love them both simultaneously?
8. On page 209 Laurie notes that she’s been conflicted about “how much information constitutes the truth, how much omission constitutes lying.” Do you think she’s lying to Oscar and/or Sarah considering what she hasn’t revealed to each of them?
9. Laurie describes the flowers Jack sends her as “lush and extravagant . . . but then in the shortest time they’re not very lovely at all. They wilt and they turn the water brown, and soon you can’t hold on to them any longer.” Do any of her relationships also fit this description?
10. How does Laurie cope with loss, in terms of family members, romantic interests, and friends?
11. By the end of the story both Laurie and Jack have grown and changed significantly. How do these changes affect their relationship?
12. How do Laurie’s New Year’s resolutions evolve through the years?
Book Club Recommendations
Recommended to book clubs by 3 of 3 members.
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