page 1 | 2 | all | buy 6. As the characters begin to pair off, were there any couples you found surprising? Which is your favorite new couple? Would you have had things turn out differently for any of them? 7. One of the big mysteries of this story is why Hannah lives such a secluded life. Once you discovered the root of her angst, did you sympathize with her, or think she was overreacting? Why do you think Hannah latched onto her friendship with Gus when she shunned everyone else’s company? And how does Hannah’s journey out of the house and towards a fuller life mirror Gus’s own journey in the course of this novel? 8. We only hear about Christopher, Gus’s late husband, a few times, but it’s clear that his death was the pivotal event in the lives of Gus and her daughters. Would Gus have achieved the same level of success had Christopher lived? What kind of life would she and her daughters have had if Gus had stayed at home and never become a CookingChannel celebrity? 9. At the end of the novel, Gus “decided that it wasn’t necessary to explain why she was doing what she was doing, or to rationalize her feelings. She could just let it be.” Is this a total change from the Gus we first met? Why do you think she feels so serene? Is it because of her romance with Oliver, or having cleared the air with her daughters, or perhaps something else? 10. Not all of the characters cook, but they’re each affected by food or cooking in some way. In what way does food serve to connect or reassure them? Are there times when food seems like a divisive or negative element in relationships? Have you had these food-related experiences with your own friends and loved ones? 11. In your opinion, is there a “lesson” to Comfort Food? What, if anything, do you think Kate Jacobs most wants you to take away from this story? And what is your own favorite “comfort food?” page 1 | 2 | all | buy