Kilbourn Public Library Book Club

The Kilbourn Public Library's Book Club selection for August is the novel The Truth According to Us by Annie Barrows.  This novel is set in 1938 and follows the story of Layla Beck, who is cut off from her allowance and demanded by her father, a US Senator, to find a job with the Federal Writers' Project, a New Deal jobs program.  Within days, Layla finds herself far out of her comfort zone when she is assigned to cover the history of the remote mill town of Macedonia, West Virginia. 


The author evokes the charm and eccentricity of a small town in this story filled with extraordinary characters.  The novel brings to life an inquisitive young girl, her beloved aunt, and the alluring visitor who changes the course of their destiny forever.


Early in the novel, Willa resolves to acquire the virtues of "ferocity and devotion."  Do you concur that these are, actually, virtues?  Which of the characters in The Truth According to Us possesses them?  Do you know anyone who does?


The Truth According to Us is set in a small town where everyone seems to know everyone else.  Have you ever lived in a situation like that?  Would you find living in Macedonia appealing or stifling?  With our multiple forms of instantaneous communication, it could be said that the entire world has become a small town.  Do you agree?  Do you think we live in a more or less anonymous world now?


At one point, Willa's Uncle Emmett advises her "Don't ask questions if you're not going to like the answers."  He clarifies that she should ask herself whether the answer could endanger something that's precious to her, and if so, refrain from asking.  Willa ignores his advice entirely, but would it have been better--for her and everyone else--if she had taken it?  Have you ever regretted your own curiosity?


Of all the characters in The Truth According to Us, with whom do you most identify and why?


The Truth According to Us is broken up into multiple different perspectives, blending young and old voices with epistolary fragments and flashbacks.   How do these varied viewpoints contribute to characterization and development in the story?  How do they deepen our connection to these characters?


Let us know what you think of The Truth According to Us.