Etched on Me Read online

  9. Did you think that Lesley should have contacted Declan once she discovered she was pregnant? What would you have done in her situation? You might also consider Lesley’s attempt to flee the UK and travel to the United States. Did you empathize with her struggle to make that decision? Would you have taken that kind of risk?

  10. Consider the women who take on maternal roles for Lesley. What is each character uniquely able to offer or teach her—and how do their influences manifest in her choices, and her own experience of motherhood? Conversely, what does Lesley offer or teach these women?

  11. Aurelia and Clare are spectral presences in Lesley’s subconscious throughout the novel. Why do you feel they haunt her as vividly as they do? In particular, why do you think Lesley seems more haunted by the ghost of her mother than that of her father? You might also consider whether there are people from your past who similarly “haunt” you, and what it is about those relationships that have stayed with you.

  12. For many characters in Etched on Me—Sophie, Gloria and Jascha, Lesley, even Clare’s parents—bringing a child into the world proves to be an uphill battle. Alternatively, Lesley’s parents both fail her, in critical ways. With this in mind, what do you think the novel is ultimately saying about family?

  13. The British system of health care and social services is clearly different from that of the United States. Do you agree with Imogen that the investigation into Lesley’s fitness for parenthood is an example of “socialism gone awry”? Or does the case of Ainsley MacIntyre, and the possibility for other, similar scenarios, justify a certain level of scrutiny toward future mothers?

  Enhance Your Reading Group

  1. Crowell’s first novel, Necessary Madness, is narrated by Gloria (from Etched on Me) and chronicles the aftermath of her first husband’s death. Consider reading Necessary Madness as a group. How does it affect your view of Gloria’s character in Etched on Me, or what added insight do you feel you have into her? Is there a character from Etched on Me that you would want to narrate a novel?

  2. Etched on Me is inspired by a true story—that of Fran Lyon, a twenty-two-year-old British woman who fled her home country in 2007 when she was nearly eight months pregnant. UK social services had ordered that she would be forced to surrender custody of her child within minutes of giving birth, due to her mental health history (raped at fourteen, she had suffered depression and instances of self-harm during her adolescence). Despite receiving extensive treatment and being granted a clean bill of health from various psychiatric professionals, Lyon was still considered a risk to her unborn child. As a group, search online for newspaper articles that covered this story at the time it was unfolding, or go to www.youtube.com/watch?v=90q5kXlOW_ g to watch a BBC interview with Lyon during her pregnancy.

  3. DBT (dialectical behavior therapy) is a widely recognized form of psychotherapy used to treat individuals with BPD (borderline personality disorder)—but it is also, as Gloria jokingly acknowledges, a fairly useful tool for anyone. Turn to pages 159 and 160 to read through Dr. P.’s description of the Rational Mind, Emotion Mind, and Wise Mind. Together, brainstorm some everyday, stressful situations in which applying these structures could be helpful to you. To learn more about DBT, visit: www.behavioraltech.org and www.dbtselfhelp.com.

  4. “Soul cards” are one of the hallmarks of Lesley’s time on the Phoenix. Nominate one or two group members to bring old magazines to your meeting, and make your own soul card as you discuss Etched on Me. Share your creations at the end of the meeting, and see if they illuminate anything about your peers, or yourself, that you weren’t expecting. To learn more about soul cards, visit the Soul Collage™ website at www.soulcollage.com.

  5. Music has a constant presence throughout Etched on Me. Visit Jenn Crowell’s website at www.jenncrowell.com to find a playlist of songs that are featured in the novel.

  HEDY BARTLESON

  JENN CROWELL is the critically acclaimed author of the novels Necessary Madness and Letting the Body Lead. She holds an MFA in creative writing and lives near Portland, Oregon, with her husband and daughter.

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  Also by Jenn Crowell

  Necessary Madness

  Letting the Body Lead

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  This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Copyright © 2014 by Jenn Crowell

  All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information address Washington Square Press Subsidiary Rights Department, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020.

  First Washington Square Press trade paperback edition February 2014

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  Designed by Leydiana Rodríguez-Ovalles

  Cover design by Regina Starace

  Cover images by iStockphoto

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Crowell, Jenn

   Etched on me : a novel / Jenn Crowell. — First Washington Square Press trade paperback edition.

   pages cm

   eBook) 1. Survival—Fiction. 2. London (England)—Fiction. I Title.

   PS3553.R5928E83 2013

   813’.54—dc23

  2013014712

  ISBN 978-1-4767-3906-9

  ISBN 978-1-4767-3907-6 (eBook)