Discussion Questions: The Strawberry Hearts Diner
1) At first, Jancy believes that her car breaking down in the parking lot of the Strawberry Hearts Diner is bad luck or cosmic punishment. In time, she comes to believe it was fate. Do you believe that fate leads people to where they need to be or not?
2) At the beginning of the story, Jancy feels like an outsider because she’s never been able to put down roots anywhere. Can you relate to this feeling? Have you ever been in a situation like this before?
3) What do you think the relationship between Nettie, Vicky, Emily and Jancy says about families?
4) When Nettie has a heart attack, Emily and Jancy make cupcakes instead of tarts at the diner because they think it’s important for Nettie’s recovery that she feels needed. Do you think this is true? Why or why not?
5) Carlton Wolfe insists that everything and everyone is for sale at the right price. Do you think he has a point?
6) The people in Pick, Texas often pull together to help each other out during difficult times. Do you believe that people are basically good, like Nettie and Vicky, or basically selfish, like Carlton Wolfe?
7) In the novel, we watch Jancy embrace the possibility of putting down roots in Pick. What are the key moments where you see this happening?
8) At first glance, Emily and Jancy appear to come from polar opposite backgrounds, but they quickly discover that they have more in common than they initially thought. What similarities do they share? How do their upbringings effect the way they view the world?
9) Why do you think Jancy and Shane are such a good match for each other? What about Emily and Ryder?
10) What do you imagine the future holds for Jancy, Emily, Vicky and Nettie?