"Last Night at the Telegraph Club" by Malinda Lo

“Perhaps that was the most perverse part of this: the inside-outness of everything, as if denial would make it go away, when it only made the pain in her chest tighten, when it only made her emotions clearer.”

Themes: Coming-Of-Age; Identity; Belonging; Secrecy; First Love; Romance; Family; Self-Discovery

Discussion Questions:

1. Did you enjoy how Lo braided the two different stories—the historical with the modern? How did they work together?

2. What did you think about Lily's friendship with Shirley?

3. What moments of Lily's queer awakening did you find relatable, if any? Why was the pulp book she found such a catalyst for her?

4. Lily and Kath had known each other for a while before they became friends. Why did it take so long? Why was their friendship so 'unprecedented'?

5. What did you think about Lily's Aunt Judy? What purposes did her character serve? In what ways did she help Lily? Could she have done more?

6. How did you feel about Tommy Andrews? What did you think about the dynamics between Tommy and other women (and later with Lily)?

7. What did you learn about racial tension in this time period? What else about this historical period did you learn? What did you already know?

8. Do you think Lily and Kath should be together (in the end)?