Being a “lady of a certain age”, and a mouthy one at that, I’m a sucker for books featuring the same. So when a friend suggested Mad Mabel for a casual book club discussion, I was all in.
This dual-timeline presentation of Elsie/Mabel’s life is quite a ride, offering several twists combined with themes like found family, the destructive nature of mass judgement, male toxicity, loneliness and redemption.
Read it for your book club and use my Mad Mabel book club questions to get the conversation started. This discussion guide includes 10 discussion prompts, a synopsis, and discussion-worthy review snippets. And if you loved Mad Mabel and want more, scroll to the bottom for some related reads.
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Synopsis for Mad Mabel
(We always choose to provide the publisher synopsis because we feel that it’s worthwhile to discuss whether the official book description actually squared with your experience of the book.)
Mad Mabel, Sally Hepworth
Meet Elsie Mabel Fitzpatrick: eighty-one years old, gloriously grumpy, fiercely independent, and never without a hot cup of tea—or a cutting remark. She minds her own business in her quiet Melbourne suburb, until a neighbor turns up dead and the whispers start flying.
Because Elsie hasn’t always been Elsie. Once upon a headline, she was Mad Mabel Waller—Australia’s youngest convicted murderer. But was she really mad, or just misunderstood? Either way, she’s kept her secret buried for decades.
Enter seven-year-old Persephone, a relentless little chatterbox who has just moved in across the road (armed with stickers, questions, and no sense of personal boundaries); Joan, who appears to have it in for Elsie; and a healthy dose of public interest—the cops are sniffing around, and the media is circling like seagulls at a picnic.
So Mabel does what she’s always done best—she takes matters into her own hands.
Is she a cantankerous old lady with a shady past? A cold-blooded killer with arthritis? Or just someone who’s finally ready to tell her side of the story?
Sharp, surprising, and wickedly funny, this is the unforgettable story of a woman who’s spent a lifetime being underestimated—and is about to prove everyone wrong. Again.
Mad Mabel Book Club Questions
These questions have been tailored to this book’s specific reading experience, but if you want more ideas, we also have an article with 101 generic book club questions.
Note: Our main character is called by two different names in the book. Since as an adult she chose to be called Elsie, that’s what I’m calling her here.
- “[…]most kids took for granted—a life with a loving family, a friend or two, a supportive community. A life of people who noticed you were there … or, dare I say it, wanted you there?”
This poignant quote calls out the desperate loneliness of Elsie’s childhood. Talk about how her life could have been different if she’d had a friend or two, or more loving parents. - Consider some of the male characters, like Elsie’s abusive father, Billy the bully, Mr. Loukas the perv, and Persephone’s murderous father Shane. Some critics of the book felt that their awfulness was over-played. Others thought they were essential to the heartbreaking nature of the story. What do you think?
- “Friends are like oxygen. If you’ve been blessed enough to have always been surrounded by friends, you might think I’m overplaying this. I don’t blame you. If you’d always been surrounded by air, you wouldn’t think to credit it for your very existence either. But I’ve spent much of my life gasping for breath, so I promise you, it’s true. Friends are like oxygen.”
Do you have friends who are your oxygen? Share one such friendship with the group. - The marketing copy calls Mad Mabel a “a twist-filled, darkly funny mystery”. Well, it was certainly twisty. But some reviewers felt it was more of a character journey than a mystery. What do you think?
- Found family is a common trope in novels and it’s certainly an important element in Mad Mabel. Discuss some of the found family dynamics in other novels that you’ve read and compare them to how they played out here.
- Elsie talks about how hard it was to make friends in school what with the rigid hierarchies and bullying. Did you experience this? Sixty years on, do you think it’s better now than it was then?
- After getting her wrist injury, Elsie refers to her “curmudgeonly facade” and how she needs to keep it up. How much of her is genuine curmudgeon and how much is the facade?
- Let’s talk about the book cover (noted above). What does it tell you about the book, and who’s the female image supposed to represent?
- Twist #1: Imaginary Daphne. Did you suspect that she wasn’t real. And was she evidence of a multiple personality disorder or simply a coping mechanism?
- Twist #2: Peter. What did you make of their relationship before the twist? What did you make of her shrine to him in the spare bedroom? What did you make of the reveal?
Selected Reviews for Mad Mabel
(Use these selected Goodreads reviews to compare with your own experience of the book. Do you agree or disagree with the reviews?)
“This is not just a thriller—it’s a character study, a meditation on truth, bias, and the stories communities tell about those who don’t fit the mold. It’s haunting, it’s heartbreaking, and it’s undeniably gripping. Hepworth delivers action and mystery, yes, but she also gives us one of the most emotional, deeply felt stories she has ever written. By the final chapters, I was shaken to my core, napkin in hand, heart pounding.”
“This is a dual timeline and I had trouble connecting with Mabel in both, which is difficult to forgive in a character-driven story. The series of bad things that happens to the young Mabel felt overdone, relying heavily on coincidences and piled on past the point of believability to maximize emotional turmoil. And the portrayal of old Mabel felt surprisingly shallow, laying it on thick with the aforementioned old-person grouchiness, but I had trouble finding the sweetness underneath.”
“I thought all the characters were well layered, unique in their own way. All the side characters added a quietness to the story that in turn highlighted how peoples perceptions of us shape our own truths. Most importantly it speaks on JUDGEMENT–that judgement prevents us from seeing the good that lies beyond our appearances. In Elsies case, people knew her name but not her STORY.”
“While reading, I kept waiting for something to happen! It felt like she was building up to a big reveal, and when we finally got there, I rolled my eyes. The ending was honestly pretty unbelievable. The story I think had something strong at the beginning, but as we progressed through it, I started to lack interest as the plot kept stalling out.”
What to Read Next
If you loved the setting and want more of that, we have a long list of books set in Australia, which includes some that feature Melbourne.
More more old people problems, try these books like Thursday Murder Club.
The Single Ladies of the Jacaranda Retirement Village, Joanna Nell
If you’re keen for another Australian setting…and…a lady of a certain age who’s defying the rules…and…unexpected friendship…then this is for you.
If you aren’t careful you can really lose your sense of self in a retirement village and Peggy has been veering hard in that direction. It’s all water aerobics, prescriptions, grief, and interference from the kids.
And then in flies fashionista Angie, a childhood friend of Peggy. Her whirlwind persona brings a lot of change for Peggy. There are external changes like new hair and clothing. But the renewed friendship also gives Peggy the courage to stand up to her kids and go for what she wants.
The Road to Tender Hearts, Annie Hartnett
If you liked the beating heart of Mad Mabel and want to explore more old people coping with kids and also second chances, try Tender Hearts.
PJ is a 63-year-old lottery winner living in Massachusetts. His life has been derailed by grief and alcoholism following the death of his teenage daughter and the collapse of his marriage. When he discovers that his high school sweetheart has recently been widowed, he impulsively decides to take a cross country road trip to visit her, with the intent of winning back her affections.
But before he leaves, he finds himself the sudden guardian to two grandchildren (and one cat), who had been in the care of his estranged brother. So, they all set off together, creating a makeshift family along the way.
Here’s a discussion guide for Tender Hearts.
My Friends, Fredrik Backman
This book offers a similar then and now timeline and also features childhood difficulties.
My Friends follows a group of teenagers whose intense bond is forged through painful shared experiences. During one pivotal summer, their friendship reshapes their lives. That summer also produce a stunning piece of art. 25 years later, a random chance encounter brings the painting to Luisa and she sets out to learn more about the figures in the painting.
Expect long-buried secrets, regrets, and sustaining but fragile friendships, all delivered with Backman’s trademark quiet humor, emotional gravitas and warmth.
Here’s the discussion guide for My Friends.
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