Jane and Dan at the End of the World Discussion Questions:
1. When the book opens, Jane is struggling with the state of her marriage along with the monotony and exhaustion of parenting teens. Could you relate to any of the emotions she was feeling?
2. Were you surprised when Jane revealed she was planning to ask Dan for a divorce at their anniversary dinner? Did you sympathize with her?
3. Have you ever eaten at a restaurant with a Michelin star? Did it live up to the hype? Or do you think you would enjoy that kind of dining
experience?
4. How do you think love changes and evolves over time in a long-term relationship? Do you think Jane and Dan appreciate each other at the
start of the book? What marriage advice would you have offered to them?
5. Many love stories start at the beginning of a relationship, but Jane and Dan have been married for nineteen years. What important takeaways did you see them learn about maintaining a happy relationship over the course of their night at La Fin du Monde?
6. When the terrorists burst in, Jane and Dan respond differently to the ambush—Dan freezes in fear and Jane wants to take action. How do you think you would respond in that situation?
7. Jane struggles with giving up control as her children grow up. If you have children, what has been the most difficult parenting stage you’ve encountered?
8. Did you think Dan and Jane were on the same page when it came to their parenting? Whose parenting style did you prefer?
9. Were you surprised by the connection between Jane’s book and the terrorists’ plans?
10. Who do you feel was the villain in the story? Did your perspective change as the story went on?
11. Sissy, Brick, and Force of Nature essentially get away with their heist. Do you think there should have been bigger consequences for Sissy’s actions? Do you think sometimes it’s OK to do the wrong thing in order to do the right thing?
12. Do you have a favorite character inJane and Dan at the End of the World? What did you enjoy most about that particular character?
Print Out the Reader's Guide Here: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/653763/jane-and-dan-at-the-end-of-the-world-by-colleen-oakley/9780593200827/readers-guide/
Dear Reader,
Thank you for scanning the QR code and coming to this page!
I’m excited to share my 6th book JANE AND DAN AT THE END OF THE WORLD with you. A couple years ago, as most authors do at some point in their career, I was struggling with what to write next. I had a few half-baked ideas that weren’t quite going anywhere and personally, I was going through a mini mid-life crisis. I have four kids and am in the thick of what that entails (the Mom taxi, the laundry, the endless scrolling of Instagram looking for advice that I’m hoping will be the magic bullet to make life easier). And then of course, there’s my nearly two-decade-old marriage to a man I adore, but sometimes when he snores at night it’s so annoying, I want to put a pillow over his face and hold it there. (I haven’t. I wouldn’t! It’s just a. . . fantasy.)
It reminded me of that old Peggy Lee song "Is That All There Is?" I think there comes a point at mid-life and marriage — no matter how much you love your kids and your husband —when you’re sludging through and it feels like there are no surprises left anymore.
And then I was surprised.
My oldest son Henry, who was 11 at the time, has always been worldly and bright and a little mature for his age, and he was struggling with environmental anxiety. He had studied climate change and became obsessed with the idea that humans were killing the earth and the animals and the air we breathe, and he was devastated. One day, he walked into the kitchen and said: “Mom, I think we should just blow up the entire earth! Everyone would die and then nature would take back over. We don’t deserve it.”
I stared at him, unblinking, with a hand to my heart. My precious, sensitive son had just suggested such a violent resolution—and so passionately! I was shocked. I couldn’t remember the last time I was that passionate about anything. And then I thought: What a great book idea.
What if a woman in her mid-40s, a harried mother, a failed author, a disenchanted wife, who barely has the will to make it to the grocery store, was taken hostage by an eco-activist group hellbent on saving the world? And what if they were using the plot of one of her (failed) books as the blueprint for their plan? I laughed. I cried. I hugged my son. (Don’t worry! I also immediately called a therapist for Henry and he’s now a well-adjusted, kind, and peaceful 14-year-old, who’s passionate about recycling, but not about eco-terrorism).
I hope Jane and Dan at the End of the World is as much fun for you to read as it was for me to write. Thank you so much for reading!
Sincerely,
Colleen Oakley
Menu from Le Fin du Monde
Book Club Menu for Jane and Dan at the End of the World
La Fin du Monde’s House Negroni
• 1 ounce gin
• 1 ounce Campari (infused with organic bronze fennel from your garden, optional)
• 1 ounce sweet vermouth
• Garnish: orange peel
Add the gin, Campari and sweet vermouth to a mixing glass filled with ice, and stir until well-chilled. Strain into a rocks glass over a large ice cube. Garnish with an orange peel.
Goose Barnacles* in a white wine sauce
*If you can’t get fresh goose barnacles flown in from Galicia, Spain, you may substitute mussels.
3 pounds of fresh mussels
1 TBS Extra virgin olive oil
2 TBS butter
4-5 cloves of garlic, minced
1 shallot, sliced thin
Fresh cilantro, chopped
2 cups of chicken broth
½-1 cup white wine
lemon
Salt, to taste
Prep your mussels. (Check to make sure all the mussels are closed, or that open ones close with a gentle tap of the finger. If they don’t, they are dead or dying and should be discarded. Rinse and scrub shells with a vegetable brush and remove any beards.) To a large pot, heat extra virgin olive oil butter until melted. Add garlic, shallots and salt over low heat to sweat (do not brown or burn!) Add the cleaned mussels to the pot and stir, then add 2 cups broth and ½ cup dry white wine. Cover and turn the heat back up to medium-high. Allow the mussels to steam for 5 to 6 minutes, or until the mussels open. Remove the pot from the heat the moment the mussels open. Stir in 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro and squeeze juice of ½ to 1 lemon over the top. Serve with crusty bread to sop up the sauce.
