Apples Never Fall

1. General Impressions

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

• Trace your engagement with the novel throughout. Were there particular scenes that you found engaging or gripping? What was your reaction to the final plot twist? 
• Liane Moriarty’s work has become a cultural phenomenon, with novels like Nine Perfect Strangers and Big Little Lies inspiring multiple adaptations. How does Apples Never Fall compare to her other work? What about the adaptations of this novel or her others? Are there other writers or novels you would compare this work to?

2. Personal Reflection and Connection

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

• Reflect on the novel’s exploration of love. What questions does the novel raise for you? Does its portrayal of love coincide with your own understanding?
• Discuss the ways in which sacrifice appears in the novel. Did Moriarty’s examination of sacrifice complicate your understanding of the topic? Have you ever made sacrifices in your own life?
• At the end of Apples Never Fall, Joy and Stan are reunited despite the uneasy revelations about their marriage over the course of the book. Would you consider this a happy ending? What is Moriarty saying about marriage and happiness?
• Consider the novel’s portrayal of the Delany family. How does Moriarty examine the concept of family through the Delaneys’ dynamic? Does this resonate with your own views on family?

3. Societal and Cultural Context

Examine the book’s relevance to societal issues, historical events, or cultural themes.

• Among other things, Apples Never Fall explores the issue of parental pressure through the Delaney family’s tennis. How is this issue relevant in today’s society? How does her exploration connect to other types of parental pressure? 
• Explore the novel’s examination of the concept of the perfect marriage or the perfect family. How does this concept connect to broader societal ideas about happiness? 

4. Literary Analysis

Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and symbolism.

• Choose a member of the Delany family and discuss their character arc over the course of the story. What challenges do they face? How do they overcome them (or not)? Trace their transformation.
• Discuss Moriarty’s use of sports, tennis in particular, throughout the novel. How does her use of sports and sports imagery amplify the novel’s thematic meaning?
• Apple imagery appears throughout the novel, beginning with the title itself. Explore the various ways in which this imagery operates in the novel and how it contributes to the novel’s meaning. 
• Apples Never Fall ends ambiguously, with a question rather than closure. Analyze Moriarty’s strategy with the ending: How does it affect reader experience? What do you think Moriarty is doing with this choice?
• Discuss Moriarty’s choice to tell the story from several different points of view while also moving back and forth in time. How does this strategy affect both narrative and thematic development?

5. Creative Engagement

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

• The novel ends with a cliffhanger as Savannah returns home to find out whether her mother is alive or dead. Imagine the next chapter of the novel. What does Savannah return to find? 
• If you were designing a cover for this novel, what images would you feature? How would you style the title? What color scheme would you use?

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