Discussion Questions: The Lullaby Sky
1) Following the trial, the friends discuss Marty’s new fiancée, “a poor thing [who] has no idea what she’s getting into, and black is not her color.” Do you agree with their initial treatment of Arabella? Why or why not?
2) Sophie finds comfort and safety in sitting under her cloudy, “lullaby sky’ and singing “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.” What or where is your “lullaby sky?”
3) While Liz is living in almost an identical abusive relationship, Hannah holds her tongue for much of the novel, believing that Liz needed to fully understand the problem before she could ever fix it. Do you agree with this decision? Should Hannah, a victim and survivor of domestic abuse, have taken a more active approach in helping her friend early on?
4) Why do you think Marty left his plane in the hangar? Could it really have been a simple mistake?
5) Calvin, working in fashion, and Travis, writing romance novels, both worry over the perception of their masculinity. Do you agree with their worries? Should their professions really matter in how they are perceived?
6) Hanna, Liz, and Darcy all express anxieties when discussing aging. Both Hanna and Liz settled in marriage and Darcy fears she will never even have that option. Are these anxieties real? To what extent can you or can you not relate?
7) After Liz moves into Aunt Birdie’s house, she sets off to inform Wyatt and is hospitalized as a result. Do you agree with the friends’ choice to let her handle the situation on her own? Do you think the outcome would have differed had someone else been present?
8) Hannah finds the strength to not only turn her home into a safe house for abuse victims, but to allow Arabella refuge after she leaves Marty. Would you have been able to find the courage to face her as Hannah does? Would you have been able to constantly re-live your past through the women you help? How would you have felt in her shoes?
9) While fishing, Liz muses about how it would be “nice if we could hit a delete button and get a re-do.” Knowing the characters and their personal journeys, would they have wanted a re-do on life? Can you relate to this wish?
10) Each character finds his or her way to closure throughout this novel. What are some of the key moments in each character’s journey?