All Your Perfects

Quinn’s relationship with her mother Avril is complex and strained. Examine how Avril’s expression of maternal instincts may have fueled Quinn’s desire for children of her own.

Discuss the role of shame in the “Now” chapters as it relates to infertility. How does Quinn’s shame tie into her guilt?

The wooden box is a site of mystery for the reader and anxiety for Graham throughout the novel. How does the box and its unknown contents build tension?

Quinn’s infertility deeply affects her self-image. How does the novel depict societal expectations affecting a person’s sense of self? For example, what do friends and family say or do that makes Quinn feel angry or guilty about her situation?

There is constant tension in the novel between flaws and perfection. How does Quinn’s fortune cookie foreshadow this tension, and how does this tension affect the way she views herself?

Much of Hoover’s success has come from the emotional impact of her books. She once claimed All Your Perfects is the “saddest” book she’s ever written. Examine the role of catharsis in the novel and as direct-to-reader appeal.

Many romance novels focus on couples meeting and falling in love. Hoover included this initial part of Quinn and Graham’s life, but the main plot is their marital struggles. In what ways does Hoover subvert romance tropes, and what does she seem to be saying about relationships as a whole?

What purpose do Quinn and Graham’s respective sisters (Ava and Caroline) serve in the novel?