This reading group guide for The Ideal Wife includes an introduction, discussion questions, ideas for enhancing your book club, and a Q&A with author Jacquelin Thomas. The suggested questions are intended to help your reading group find new and interesting angles and topics for your discussion. We hope that these ideas will enrich your conversation and increase your enjoyment of the book.



Introduction

Young newlywed Jana is settling into married life with her handsome husband, Lawrence, after a whirlwind courtship and wedding. But soon after their honeymoon, it becomes apparent that in order to adapt to her successful husband’s world, Jana will need to change. Her new circle of friends includes the wives of Lawrence’s partners at his law firm, who spend their days shopping, having lunch, and working on charity committees. Jana tries her best to be the ideal wife, but it soon becomes clear that her husband has voracious and somewhat unusual sexual appetites and, although she strives to please him, Jana is having trouble reconciling his uninhibited lifestyle with her faith. Will she be forced to choose between her husband and her God?

Questions for Discussion

1. Why do you think the author opens the novel with the epigraph from the book of Esther? What tone does this set?

2. In trying to reconcile her husband’s wants with her strong faith, Jana relates to t see more