Welcome @abasket ! Perhaps you might want to peek at previous discussions, lots of books, all genres discussed during the last 14 (?) years.
The discussions are “ wide open” , free flowing for sure! Fun.
Just finished The Latecomer, ebook was available through library so I read, earlier than usual, but this one should be easy to remember.
I thought I’d pull this up as a reminder for those who want to join in the discussion. I already have my copy and am enjoying it.
I am enjoying it too. Looking forward to discussion next month. Welcome @abasket 
Finished the 2nd half of the book in one nice long reading session. It was definitely well written and an engrossing read. Can’t wait for the discussion.
Bumping this up as it is June 1st.
Thanks, @silverlady! Yes, it’s June 1st! Welcome to our discussion of The Latecomer by Jean Hanff Korelitz.
I give this one all the stars. The novel was really well-written (if at times fascinatingly improbable), with very distinctive characters. Sometimes family dramas can be a drag, but I couldn’t put this one down — it was like binge-watching a limited Netflix series.
I thought the first half was stronger than the second half. Watching things fall apart felt more complex and creative than watching things be put back together, which was a bit of a fairy tale. But I’m a sucker for a happy(ish) ending, so it’s all good.
Below are discussions questions that you can peruse and use, if the spirit moves you. Or ignore them altogether and just jump right in and let us know what you thought of the book! I’m actually posting two sets from different sites. (They overlap a bit, so there’s some repeat concepts.)
Discussion Questions #1:
The Latecomer opens with a funeral for the victims of a devastating car accident. How does Salo Oppenheimer, the driver of the car, react to the accident and its aftermath? Describe how the guilt from the accident shapes his life as well as the lives of his wife and children. Why do you think he won’t open up about the accident with his wife and children?
Discuss Johanna and Salo Oppenheimer’s marriage, including Johanna’s struggles with infertility and IVF journey as well as her high-risk pregnancy with the triplets. What do you think of Johanna’s “great purpose” in the marriage? The book describes her as an involved, loving mother, yet her children fault her for not seeing or meeting their individual needs. What do you think of their assessment of her parenting? Is Salo equally blamed for not meeting his children’s needs? What do you think about Johanna’s decision to have a late-in-life child, after the triplets are in college?
Descriptions of fine art run throughout The Latecomer. Indeed, a number of turning points in the story are connected in some way to art. Discuss how the different generations of Oppenheimers appreciate and/or collect art. Many of the paintings described in the book are real. Google the artworks and artists mentioned; why do you think these artists and pieces captivate Salo? Why does Salo keep his art collection hidden from his family? Other types of collections are noted in the book, including furniture and family photos. What is the author saying about the act of ownership and collecting?
What does the story of Judd Suss/Joseph Oppenheimer represent to the Oppenheimers? Why is the tale of Salo’s persecuted ancestor repeated in the book?
Author Jean Hanff Korelitz never explicitly gives a cause for the dislike that triplets Harrison, Sally and Lewyn have for each other. Based on your reading, what do you see as the source of their antipathy? Do you relate to the sibling dynamics in the book? What do you think of the triplets? Do you find any of the characters in the book likeable?
The Latecomer is narrated by one of the Oppenheimer siblings who forthrightly describes her parents’ relationships, her siblings’ contempt for each other as well as the many family secrets. Do you think she is a reliable narrator? Why or why not?
What role does the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have in Lewyn’s life and quest for spirituality? What do you think Korelitz is saying about the connection between art and religion in her character’s appreciation for Mormon pageantry and imagery? How do the Oppenheimer siblings relate to their own Jewish culture and religion?
Sally shows both attraction to and expertise in minimalism. What does her career choice to become a “finder”—decluttering houses to uncover valuable furniture—say about her? What role does hoarding play in her life? Is the author creating a connection between collecting and hoarding? Why is Sally unable to face her own sexual orientation, one of many secrets in the book?
Discuss the educational systems described in the novel. How does inherited wealth and privilege impact the Oppenheimers’ educational choices? Do you think Harrison is correct in his criticism of his progressive prep school as well as the “typical” college experience? What about his experiences and friendships at the conservative Roarke institution? Why isn’t he as critical of them? What do you think about Phoebe’s decision to attend Roarke?
What is the significance of Phoebe’s stated discomfort with not being born at the same time as her siblings? Do you agree that she was “left behind,” or is she better off than the rest of her siblings? How does the family dynamic change with the discovery of another Oppenheimer sibling?
Did the conclusion of Salo’s story come as a shock? How was it foreshadowed earlier in the book? Given his treatment of his wife and family as well as his actions at the triplets’ cataclysmic birthday party, did he “deserve” that ending?
Describe the impact of the Oppenheimer family reunion on the siblings as well as on Johanna. After nearly a lifetime of pain and betrayal, are Johanna’s healing and self-knowledge plausible? What do you think about her reaction to her husband’s long-time mistress and their son. What do you think of Phoebe’s quest to bring all the family, particularly her siblings, together? One Book, One Hadassah: 'The Latecomer' Discussion Guide | Hadassah Magazine
Discussion Questions #2
Why do you suppose each Oppenheimer triplet did everything they could to avoid any interaction or affiliation with the other triplets, virtually from birth? Consider genetics, parental attitudes, personalities. How does this compare with your experience as a sibling or a parent of siblings?
Johanna Oppenheimer, having fought long and hard to conceive and bear the Oppenheimer children, holds a steadfast point of view that they are a very close family. Is this completely delusional, or is there evidence that the children may be complicit in furthering this impression?
There’s hardly any dialogue among the triplets until young adulthood – yet clearly there was some unprompted conversation between them, as evidenced by memory of Harrison’s telling the other two Oppenheimers about having sex for the first time. Did this casual revelation surprise you, and what questions does it raise about the accuracy of the narrator’s depiction of the triplets as uninterested strangers?
How did Salo Oppenheimer’s role in a fatal car accident impact his life moving forward? Do you think he would have behaved differently – been a different man, even – if the accident hadn’t occured?
The author described Salo as tumbling through life, weightless. What does this concept mean to you, and can you relate this experience to yourself or anyone else you are close to? Compare this weightless tumbling concept with the manner of his death.
Phoebe Oppenheimer, of an age with the triplets but born seventeen years later, has been narrating this story from page one, but only makes her voice known quite late in the story. When it was revealed that what appeared to be a first-person plural point of view was first-person singular all along, what was your reaction?
According to Merriam-Webster, the definition of hoarding is “the practice of collecting or accumulating something (such as money or food).” We know that Rochelle Steiner’s mother was a hoarder of items to an extreme extent, and Sally Oppenheimer is in the business of cleaning out the homes of other extreme hoarders. Who else in the Oppenheimer family hoarded anything from which they refused to let go for an extended period of time? Think about: memories, secrets, beliefs, grievances – and literal physical items.
Are there any Oppenheimers who don’t take their extensive wealth and privilege for granted? The Latecomer - Discussion Questions - Your Book Group
Just picking one at random to get us started:
Did the conclusion of Salo’s story come as a shock? How was it foreshadowed earlier in the book? Given his treatment of his wife and family as well as his actions at the triplets’ cataclysmic birthday party, did he “deserve” that ending?
Ugh, what a question. Absolutely no one deserves such an ending. It did come as a shock to me, but in retrospect it was pretty obvious. I was so engrossed in the story that I wasn’t even thinking about the timeline. If I had tumbled to the fact that the disastrous birthday party was September 10, 2001, I would have guessed Salo’s fate.
I felt no hostility toward Salo, only pity. I’m not sure I even agree with Sally that he was a “terrible father.” Disengaged, yes. But a good provider and not abusive in any way. I think he tried —albeit half-heartedly—to love and understand his children. His last words to Sally after Harrison outs her are, “Is this true, Sally? It’s fine, of course, but is it true?” Those aren’t the words of a terrible father. That said, I have to give him pretty low marks in the husband department. He and Joanna were terribly mismatched, but he didn’t put much effort into making the marriage work. Even so, I don’t want to judge him too harshly. Being inadvertently responsible for killing two people you care about would be a terrible lifelong burden. I get why being with Stella felt like healing.
The whole point was he was a passive participant in his life, dreaming walking life. He will allow to be led but no intention and ability to lead. Joanna thinking she could “change” him was also misplaced.
True – he drifted into marriage, into fatherhood, into an affair. Then he finally makes a firm decision about his life and dies 24 hours later. Seems like a dirty trick by the gods!
I did not see September 11 coming. I don’t know if it was specifically mentioned (a specific birthday of the triplets) but in my mind it was just “early September”. Realizing he boarded that plane on THE Sept. 11th was a reader’s blow to me.
I agree that Salo was mostly walking through life alone - even when he wasn’t physically alone, as he was part of a family. He didn’t seem to connect with anyone on a personal level after the accident except Stella. For that matter Joanna also seemed to be walking through life without much actual happiness. From the start of their relationship through the 4 kids growing up she seemed to be going through the motions, through the parenting checklist all without much happiness, pride or glee.
Really, the mood in their home always seemed disjointed, depressive and sad. For the most part, no one wanted to be there - physically and emotionally.
I felt the opposite. In the first part of the book I kept waiting for the story to form. I wasn’t seeing a main character or a theme. There was a lot of information, but I thought the story was lacking. I was on car trip with my husband and we were listening to the story on audible and he gave it up. As the triplets got older I did find some of their stories interesting and I started to enjoy the book a little more and wanted to keep reading. It wasn’t until part 3, when Phoebe’s teenage character entered the story, that I started to really like the book. Phoebe brought all the straggling ends together. She was a delightful character and, I’ll confess, I also am a sucker for a happy(ish) ending.
I really struggled with the 1st 2/3rds of the book. The last 1/3 was much more interesting to me and I was able to read it at one sitting. It was the book club that caused me to finish the book as I had contemplated abandoning it.
It was sad reading the triplets who were so hostile to one another. I could never understand nor identify with the hostility. It was also sad to me how detached Salo was and how lonely Johanna was. It made me glad not to have experienced the hostility nor detachment and loneliness.
I found Phoebe fascinating. Couldn’t really understand why she wanted to attend Deep Springs (the real college that matches the description of where she and Harrison attended). I found Ibrahim an interesting character as well—brilliant, confidant and whole.
While the last 40% of the book seemed to “fly by”, I felt the first 60% was needed to give a full picture of the character history. The one part I felt I missed some info on was just after the beach scene on Sept. 10 with the “big reveal” of Rochelle to the family…we went from that scene to the 3 sibs being in their 30’s…so for instance, I wanted to know more about how Sally went from being so vindictive and really immature to being the homeowner and business owner cooking a roast chicken in her spic and span gleaming floors home!
I think this is an interesting thought. The moment when Sally is captivated by the brown Shaker table in the museum exhibit and where it takes her - pivotal to her future. Do these things set the stage for her to have more/better emotions with people - is the “stuff” the vehicle for her to develop relationships - but yet in her own home, minimalism to have order she can control?
I spent the first 2/3rds of the book convinced that Salo was on the autism spectrum. And the last 1/3 wondering if he was that way with Stella.
Of course the car accident was the defining moment of his life. And the book. But did it just define his life with his first family? Or both of them?
Just with his first family, I think. He woke up when he met Stella, opening up to her. The crying scene.
Our S was fascinated by Deep Springs and fleetingly considered and discarded it. He definitely would NOT have been interested in any farming aspects but he does love spending time in the great outdoors and of course free college is a draw. Haha!
Here’s an interview of the author.
Here’s the link to Deep Springs College, which does exist and has recently gone from all male to co-ed.