The second chapter in Hot Springs Drive is a bit of a doozy. How did knowing that Jackie (and Adam) will betray Theresa affect how you read her backstory? What stood out to you about Theresa in the spare scenes we get before she meets Jackie? In the next chapter, from Jackie’s perspective, we get to witness that first meeting. What did you think of Jackie’s inner monologue? Why does Jackie immediately start comparing herself to the other young mother? At this point in the story, do you think Jackie’s self-loathing is earned, or is it a symptom of something else? If so, what is it? One of the lines that stood out to me most was, “I loved her immediately. Isn’t that how all great hatreds end?” It really set the tone. How did that line work for you? And what do you think about unlikeable characters?
From the beginning Jackie coveted what Theresa had. One paragraph that sticks out to me, when Jackie describes walking past Theresa's room seeing she has a window and: "Once, her husband brought balloons; another day a box of chocolates. I watched him kiss her forehand, hold the baby like a bouquet, hand it back. Warmth spread through me and down my legs. I remembered when Nick didn't know how to hold a baby. "
I feel like Jackie immediately saw Theresa had what she wanted and was valued and treated differently by her husband Adam, where her husband Nick appears to be more self involved and oblivious to his wife's needs. We also get a look at how Douglas was strongly attached to his mother and attuned to her needs at a very young age.
Also I agree the line “I loved her immediately. Isn’t that how all great hatreds begin?” at the end of the chapter really highlights that Jackie didn't start out hating Theresa, she really enjoyed her but also started out being jealous of what she has from the beginning of their friendship.
I'm really excited to discuss and see how that jealousy turned into hatred!
What’s interesting about Theresa’s backstory is that her life wasn’t happy or wonderful. She was isolated and lonely for much of her life and rarely made a bold choice. Jackie makes an immediate judgement that Theresa’s life must be so much better because her husband is more attentive, and that fuels her jealousy. Her friendship was based entirely on this misjudgment and doesn’t seem that Jackie ever revised her initial assessment. I’m curious what this friendship was actually like in the years between their meeting and the weight loss group. It never seemed like that true and deep a bond
Theresa is known, in family lore, as one who is afraid to take risks--the cartwheels, the jump into the water. Afraid to stop her mother from taking away Roy, Carissa’s baby. Possibly also afraid to acknowledge an attraction to women--her friendship with Samantha, the co-worker, was more intense than a non-sexual one. Carissa told Theresa it was time to “just pick someone,” and that’s what she did with Adam in the bar. And she felt lonely at her wedding.
Theresa seems to be going through the motions of her own life.
From the beginning Jackie coveted what Theresa had. One paragraph that sticks out to me, when Jackie describes walking past Theresa's room seeing she has a window and: "Once, her husband brought balloons; another day a box of chocolates. I watched him kiss her forehand, hold the baby like a bouquet, hand it back. Warmth spread through me and down my legs. I remembered when Nick didn't know how to hold a baby. "
I feel like Jackie immediately saw Theresa had what she wanted and was valued and treated differently by her husband Adam, where her husband Nick appears to be more self involved and oblivious to his wife's needs. We also get a look at how Douglas was strongly attached to his mother and attuned to her needs at a very young age.
Also I agree the line “I loved her immediately. Isn’t that how all great hatreds begin?” at the end of the chapter really highlights that Jackie didn't start out hating Theresa, she really enjoyed her but also started out being jealous of what she has from the beginning of their friendship.
I'm really excited to discuss and see how that jealousy turned into hatred!
What’s interesting about Theresa’s backstory is that her life wasn’t happy or wonderful. She was isolated and lonely for much of her life and rarely made a bold choice. Jackie makes an immediate judgement that Theresa’s life must be so much better because her husband is more attentive, and that fuels her jealousy. Her friendship was based entirely on this misjudgment and doesn’t seem that Jackie ever revised her initial assessment. I’m curious what this friendship was actually like in the years between their meeting and the weight loss group. It never seemed like that true and deep a bond
Theresa is known, in family lore, as one who is afraid to take risks--the cartwheels, the jump into the water. Afraid to stop her mother from taking away Roy, Carissa’s baby. Possibly also afraid to acknowledge an attraction to women--her friendship with Samantha, the co-worker, was more intense than a non-sexual one. Carissa told Theresa it was time to “just pick someone,” and that’s what she did with Adam in the bar. And she felt lonely at her wedding.
Theresa seems to be going through the motions of her own life.
I was left wanting to know the character of Theresa more intimately. We never really seem to get below the surface.