Today Will Be Different, by Maria Semple

Characters

Eleanor Flood – artist and animation director for Looper Wash Joe Wallace – husband, hand surgeon Timby Matthew Flood – Eleanor’s father, alcoholic, ignored daughters Tess Tyler – mother, died of cancer Ivy – sister Barnaby “Bucky” Fanning – married Ivy John-Tyler and Delphine – children Lester Lewis – Bucky’s roommate at Vanderbilt and artist under Eleanor working on Looper Wash Alonzo Wrenn – poetry coach Sydney Madsen – annoying “friend” Spencer Martell – artist Simon – pastor, Seahawks chaplain

For discussion:

NOTE: Page numbers are from the paperback edition.

1. Discuss the Introduction.  Was Eleanor’s plan for the day reasonable?  Do you or could you do all of these things.  After reading just the Introduction, what were your expectations for the book?
2. What questions or misunderstandings did you have about Eleanor and when were they answered or addressed in the novel?
3. What did you think about Timby’s appointment and Eleanor’s conversation with Dr. Saba?   What did you think of Eleanor’s parenting style?

4. After the appointment with Dr. Saba, Eleanor was missing Joe because he was the “Competent Traveler” (page 43).   She mused that because Joe was so organized she was able to go through life being the “Helpless Traveler” (page 43).   Eleanor thought we could be either type, it just depended on who you were with.  Do you agree?   Which role do you usually take?
5. When Eleanor was in Costco she compared the contents of her shopping cart with others (page 110).   Do you do that at the store?
6. Why did Eleanor and Ivy turn out so differently?   Is missing Ivy the key to all of Eleanor’s problems?
7. Do you think Eleanor and Ivy will be able to overcome their differences?  How important a part will Bucky or Timby play in this?
8. On pages 222 and 223 Joe mentally listed everything that he had done right. Did you think of anything else he could have done?  Have you ever had similar thoughts?
9. What were you predicting would be Joe’s story?  Were you surprised it was religion?
10. As the story progressed, were you surprised at the turns it took?  Were you able to predict what would happen?
11. Compare the Introduction and the last page of the novel.  Had Eleanor changed?   Does she have a better chance of success at the end of the novel than at the beginning?
12. Discuss your reading experience.  Did the story turn out differently than you expected?   Was that a good thing or not?

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