One afternoon at the Met, Daphne is greeted with a blast from the past when her stepfather from childhood recognizes her and re-introduces himself forty years after his departure from the family. What starts as a reminiscent conversation in the Met cafe turns into a return to a full blown familial relationship, where the past is unwound and relationships are rebuilt. Whistler is a feast for book clubs who enjoy a slowly unfurling, character-driven story, with themes of lost (and found) family, death & grief, reliving childhood memories, and chosen love.
This Whistler book club guide will help spark conversation on these themes and many others found throughout the novel. Use the ten book club guide questions as a starting point for your discussion. This guide also includes the publisher’s synopsis, a selection of reviews to compare to your own reading experience, and a few books that you may enjoy if you’re looking for more reads similar to Whistler.
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Synopsis for Whistler
Whistler, Ann Patchett
When Daphne Fuller and her husband Jonathan visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art, they notice an older, white-haired gentleman following them. The man turns out to be Eddie Triplett, her former stepfather, who had been married to her mother for a little more than year when Daphne was nine. Now fifty-three, Daphne hasn’t seen Eddie for many years, not since the fateful event that changed the direction of both their lives. Meeting again, time falls away; while their relationship was brief, it had a profound impact on them both, and now that they are reunited, they have no intention of ever being separated again.
Whistler is a story about two adults looking back over the choices they made, and the choices that were made for them. It’s a story about bravery, memory, the often small yet consequential moments that define our lives, and the endless stream of loss that in time comes for us all. Beautiful in its simplicity, it is ultimately about how love endures, and how the feeling of being known by one other person, even for a short period of time, can change everything.
10 Book Club Questions for Whistler
- Daphne had three father figures in her life: her biological father Buddy, her stepfather Eddie Triplett, and her mother’s last husband Lucas Ekker. How was Daphne’s dynamic different with each of them?
- Eddie agrees to end his relationship with Skip and other men, and commit to Daphne’s mother in marriage. Why do you think both Eddie and Abigail were willing to enter a marriage together despite the fact that Eddie was gay?
- Daphne’s sister Leda is a therapist. What do you think it would be like having a therapist in the family? Do you think Leda can look at their childhood objectively?
- How did Daphne’s childhood impact her decision not to have her own children? How did her description of her role as stepmother fit her perception of family?
- Why do you think Daphne decided not to tell her husband Jonathan about seeing Eddie in the beginning? Is it ok for married couples to keep things to themselves?
- “Our parents,” Leda said, “did not depend on us for their sense of identity. They had their lives and we had ours. Bless them.”
Discuss this quote. How did Daphne describe her relationship with her mother at different phases in her life, where she (Daphne) was not necessarily the focal point?
- What did you think about the dynamic between Eddie and the Hotallings? Was Skip Eddie’s true love, was he using Eddie, or something else?
- “Once we’re comfortable with death, we’ll do a better job with our lives.”
There are multiple deaths and near-death experiences described in Whistler. What do you think this novel says about processing grief and loss?
- Talk about the story of the horse Whistler, and its symbolism throughout the novel.
- “Because in the book, I don’t die. In the book, we’re sitting on this bench, talking about a book about the two of us, and then the story stops with us waiting for Joanthan and your mother to come back.”
There are multiple theories on the ending of the novel – some readers speculate that Eddie actually died either in the car crash or in the ambulance on the way to the hospital, and that Daphne had written the novel we are reading as a way to process a childhood trauma and grief. Discuss this and any other theories you might have had.
Selected Reviews for Whistler
“What makes this book so difficult to categorize is also what makes it so special. Is it a family story? A story about grief? A story about memory, forgiveness, regret, found family, second chances? Yes. All of them. But underneath everything, I think this is a book about how much our past can shape the people we become—and how it is never necessarily too late to reclaim a part of yourself that you thought was gone forever.”
“Ann Patchett is a master of literary fiction, particularly when it comes to writing about lives that seem ordinary at first glance but reveal remarkable depth upon closer examination. Few authors can take seemingly unremarkable people and transform their everyday experiences into something profound and memorable.”
“As much as I loved the characters, I just couldn’t quite connect. Maybe it’s because I would never be able to (or want) to have a relationship with any of my mother’s exes (that’s a whole other story we don’t want to get into). And also, I feel that if over forty years have gone by, then that person has probably forgotten about me, and I feel like it would be like meeting a stranger again- even if you have shared a traumatic event together.”
What to Read Next
If you want to work Patchett’s backlist, I have discussion guides for The Dutch House and Tom Lake.
For another book featuring an influential, but non-parental figure, have a look at Kin (Tayari Jones) or The Road to Tender Hearts (Ann Harnett).
These links go to discussion guides that have a non-spoiler synopsis toward the top of the page and a link to Amazon for reviews and pricing.
Tell Me Everything, Elizabeth Strout
If you’re looking for another literary fiction novel that has deep themes, a beloved cast of characters, and plenty of book club banter built in, check out Tell Me Everything by Elizabeth Strout. Here’s a book club guide for it.
Lincoln in the Bardo, George Saunders
Lincoln in the Bardo was referenced in Whistler, and explains the concept of a transitional state between life and death, where the characters cannot accept their own death. Great for book clubs who want to read something a bit more abstract, with a unique way of exploring the idea of death, and what we leave behind. Bonus points for the full cast audio!
The Goldfinch, Donna Tart
Another literary fiction novel that begins in a museum! More than that, The Goldfinch is a story of how the decisions and experiences we make in childhood shape the individuals we become. Great if your book club is comfortable with a heavier novel (figuratively and literally).
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