"Mrs. S" by K. Patrick

"The impulse to know all of her, the idea that I could, the accidental promise of her raised eyebrows."

Themes: Gender; Romance; Yearning; Summer; Desire; Gaze

Discussion Questions:

1. How did you find Patrick's writing style? How did it add to the ambiance of the book, or retract from it? How did you feel about the lack of quotation marks?

2. Why do we never learn the main character's name? How did that affect your reading experience? Did it affect your reading experience?

3. Describe the relationship between the main character and the queer housemistress. What did you enjoy about their dynamic? What didn't you like?

4. Why do you think the main character becomes so fixated on Mrs. S? Is her fixation rational? When does it become legitimate?

5. The main character does not appear to struggle with her sexuality as much as her gender. How did you feel about her descriptions of her butchness, or possible transmasc identity? How did Patrick explore gender in this book?

6. Discuss the moment where the main character helps Mrs. S garden. Did you understand the roses and thorns as a metaphor? If so, for what?

7. How did you feel when the main character was with Mrs. S and her husband? How does Patrick create tension?

8. While the students at the boarding school are not main characters in the book, the book cannot be separated from its setting. What did you think about the setting? What did you think about the main character's position as matron? Why did she take this position in the first place?