She's Come Undone, by Wally Lamb

Note from Arden: I loved this book when I read it 20+ years ago and I loved it just as much now.  Even though is it somewhat painful to read, Dolores' struggles are timeless.  My questions are very long, but there is so much to discuss in this novel.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Location	Characters
New York	Dolores Price Tony – father Bernice – mother Petey – lime green parakeet Mrs. Masicotte – hired Tony Thelma Holland – grandmother Eddie – son who died Arthur Music – driver who killed Bernice Geneva Sweet – Bernice’s high school friend
Rhode Island	Thelma – grandmother Roberta – Peacock Tattoo Emporium Jack and Rita Speight – 3rd floor tenants Rosalie and Stacia Pysyks – classmates at St. Anthony’s school Mr. Pucci – Guidance Counselor ·         Gary – boyfriend Larry – paperhanger Ruthie (wife) and Tia Thayer Kitchen Jemal – son
Merton College  Wayland, PA	Dottie – custodian Kippy Strednickis – roommate Dante – high school boyfriend Eric – Culinary Arts Domingos – cab driver who drive Dolores to Wellfleet in Cape Cod
Newport, RI	Gracewood Institute for 7 years: 4 inpatient and 3 outpatient Dr. Shaw Nadine - psychic
Montpelier, Vermont	Chadley Massey and Marguerite Wing – landlords Dante Davie - husband

For Discussion:

NOTE: Page numbers refer to the paperback edition of the book.

1.Discuss Dolores’ rape and bullying.  This book has a 1992 copyright.  How different were the situations handled then compared to today?

2. Even though Dolores went to the emergency room two weeks after the rape, she did not want to tell her father or press charges.   How realistic was it to “pretend it did not happen.”  (page 117)

3. Did you understand Dolores’ rationalization when she blamed herself for Rita’s miscarriage? 

4. How did her mother’s “regret” (page 117) determine what she did next – letting Dolores stay home from school and buying her all the food she wanted?  What effect did her own affair with Jack have on her feelings and future behavior toward Dolores?   Can you understand Bernice’s feelings and actions?

5. Consider Dolores’ decision to go to college.  Was she wise to go so far away or would she have been better off closer to home?  How could she possibly make such a major mistake on the start date?  Was that realistic?

6. How did Bernice’s death influence Dolores’ college decision?  See page 136 where Dolores wonders if Bernice ran in front of the truck on purpose and if Dolores “had just agreed to go to college…then she’d be alive.”

7. The last thing Bernice said to Delores was, “You’ve made me so goddamned tired.”  (page   134)  How did this impact Delores? 

8. Did you understand Thelma’s frustration when she asked Dolores about her decision to go to college after her mother dies, “If you’re going anyway, then what was all that fuss about?  Why did you have to plague her?” (page 145)  Why did Dolores act that way?

9. Discuss how Dolores treated her father?  Could she or her father have done anything differently?  Would you have done the same?  Was there a “right” or “wrong” way to handle things?

10. On page 166, Ruthie told Dolores to go to college even if she thought she might hate it.  Ruthie said, “I usually learn more from the situations I hate than the ones I love, you know?”   Do you agree?  What did Dolores learn from all the bad situations?   How would her life have been different without all of the negative situations?

11. When Dolores was in the dorm orientation at Merton she watch everyone handling their Styrofoam cups and thought, “you could tell a lot more about people from watching their behavior with Styrofoam cups than you could by what they told you.” (page 189)   What can you learn about people by how they handle things?

12. What was the significance of the iron staple in the wall of the Merton dorm TV room? (page 203)

13. What did you think of Dolores finding Dante and then marrying him without revealing all that she knew about his past?

14. After her time at Gracewood and Dolores was taking a community college course on women, she said in class, “I think the secret is to just settle for the shape your life takes.   Instead of, you know, always waiting and wishing for what might make you happy.”  (page 433)  How did she follow, and not follow, this idea?

15. How did the different characters influence Dolores life, both positively and negatively?

16. After her abortion Dolores reflected that she had failed everyone (pages 375-6).  Do you agree or did they fail her?

17. Discuss your reading experience.  Was it positive or negative?  One reviewer was surprised the male author could understand and write so well from a female perspective.  Do you agree?

 *****

First Semester Success: Learning Strategies and Motivation for Your First Semester (or Any Semester) of College, by Dr. Arden B. Hamer, is available at amazon.com, wordassociation.com and barnesandnoble.com.  Click on the upper right link.