Golden State: A Novel (33 page)

Graham Parker, “Anniversary
” Another song celebrating a long relationship. The words are so nice and happy; why, then, does the song sound so ominous and desperate? During the early period of writing
Golden State
, I had a CD in my car with a collection of Graham Parker songs, and the mood and spirit of this one, “You Can’t Be Too Strong,” and “Haunted Episodes,” seemed to seep into the mood of the book somehow.

Johnny Cash, “Further On Up the Road
” Johnny Cash singing a Bruce Springsteen song about graveyard boots and looking for a light up ahead … what could be better?

Lambchop, “Let’s Go Bowling
” This one is from the 1994 Lambchop album with the confusing mix of two different titles—
I Hope You’re Sitting Down
and
Jack’s Tulips
. Although the record was their debut, it appeared with a rustic, world-weary sound that made it seem like it had been around forever. The story is a nice, foggy piece about a couple on a trip to Greece, taking pictures, wandering through the ruins of their life.

Lesley Spencer, “Childhood Revisited
” My husband frequently plays this song while doing the dishes. I often hear it oozing out of the kitchen, working its way downstairs to my writing room. I love instrumentals that somehow tell a story, as this one does.

Mark Mulcahy, “A Smack on the Lips
” How does love happen? What’s the magic, unnamable thing that brings two people together? I was twenty-four when I met my husband. We’ve been together for most of my adult life. While my husband is definitely not Tom, and
Golden State
is “purely a work of fiction,” as they say, the passion and stability of a long-term partnership is something that, fortunately, I know well. If you want to tell your spouse you’d do it all over again, play this song!

The Handsome Family, “A Thousand Diamond Rings
” Albuquerque’s Handsome Family seems to know a thing or two about complicated relationships. For me, this one and “So Much Wine” are classics.

Richmond Fontaine, “A Letter to the Patron Saint of Nurses
” I would love this great Portland band even if we didn’t share a name. “A Letter to the Patron Saint of Nurses” is a weird one, almost spoken word. It’s a nice tribute to the importance of being able to remember the high points in a relationship, especially when you are at a low point.

Woodpigeon, “Enchantée Janvier
” Canada’s Woodpigeon was an infatuation I had during the early versions of
Golden State
. If you’re in need of a great, uplifting song, this is it.

Tracey Thorn, “Sister Winter
” This is a pretty cover of the lesser-known Sufjan Stevens not-exactly-happy Christmas song.

Billy Idol, “Sweet Sixteen
” I fell head over heels for Billy Idol as a fifteen-year-old girl in Alabama. My bedroom was pretty much
wallpapered with pictures of him. It was like running into an old crush when, quite by accident, he walked into
Golden State
. This song goes a bit further than his others—it’s catchy and hummable, yes, but also sad, with an indescribable vein of melancholy weaving its way through. For years, I thought this song was about a guy who’s in love with a sixteen-year-old girl. Only recently did I come to realize that this is a song about the long haul, about a man who has loved the same woman for a very long time, and who now feels the threat of losing her.

1. The author uses an unconventional timeline to tell her story, moving back and forth between past, present, and earlier that morning. What elements does this add to the reading experience? How would the experience have changed had the author used a strictly linear approach?

2. How are music and lyrics important throughout the story? What does the incessancy of Tom’s voice on the radio mean to Julie?

3. Describe how Heather and Julie’s relationship changes. What are the most influential moments? If you were Julie, would you have been able to forgive Heather?

4. On
this page
, Julie questions her and Tom’s relationship by saying, “Without a child, are we even a family?” Ethan undoubtedly transforms Julie and Tom’s life, but does he prove that children are necessary to have a real family?

5. On
this page
, Julie wonders, “Between a marriage one chooses and a blood relation one doesn’t, shouldn’t marriage be the more
powerful bond?” Does Julie find an answer to this question? Which do you think is the stronger bond?

6. What does Julie’s mother represent? Why are Julie’s memories of Mississippi and her childhood so important? Why might she reflect on them during the stress of the hostage situation?

7. The characters in
Golden State
grapple with the idea of things either happening for a reason or happening due to cause and effect. Julie spends most of the novel defending the latter, but which do you believe in? Why?

8. Explain Dennis and Julie’s relationship. How is it possible that Julie could feel remorse for Dennis in the midst of a hostage crisis?

9. Throughout the novel, Julie views her life as a series of beginnings and endings, rather than a continuum of learning and growing. Does this mindset hurt or help her? Does her attitude change by the end of the novel? Through which interpretation do you view your life?

10. The author leaves certain questions unanswered at the close of the story. If you were to write a sequel, how would you tie up the novel’s loose ends?

11. On
this page
, Tom says, “We become so used to the way things are … we can’t imagine things being any other way.” What does he mean by this? How does the premise of
Golden State
encourage readers to imagine the impossible?

12. Of all the themes in the novel—forgiveness, family, belief, patriotism, identity, etc.—which was the most relevant to you? Why?