This novel was written to spur discussion. Use the questions below or come up with your own as you make your way through the book.
How well did Eve and Adam really get to know each other in their ten days together?
What do you think of Eve’s reasons for saying yes to having sex with Adam?
Should Eve have told Adam as soon as she knew she was pregnant? What do you think of her reasons for delaying?
Eve told Adam she’d wanted to protect him. What did you think of Adam’s reaction to the news?
Should Adam have contacted Eve as soon as he found out how old the condom was? Or sooner, when he first noticed it felt brittle as he removed it?
Did Eve’s parents “child-abuse” her by requiring her to read six books in two weeks, on top of her schoolwork?
Was what Eve did in Toronto brave or cowardly?
Would Claire’s suggestion that Eve “mindlessly” abort have worked? Did Eve make the situation worse by thinking about it so much?
What do you think Eve would’ve decided to do if the Toronto procedure hadn’t been available?
Eve feels that male leadership has failed women. What role should male church, political, and medical leaders have?
Were the arguments identified by Eve the best ones for and against abortion? If not, what do you find persuasive?
Is it really possible for both sides to be right—equally? If so, what does that lead to?
Was it fair for the male nurse to say the procedure got Eve “off the hook”? What did you think of her middle-of-the-night rant?
If the “removal and preservation” hadn’t been available, how do you think Eve’s parents would’ve resolved their conflict about what their daughter should do?
Was it right for Eve’s mom to threaten to leave Eve’s dad as a matter of conscience?
What do you think of Dr. Hughey’s work?
If “removal and preservation” were possible today, would it be a good solution?
Should scientists be working on Claire’s “futuristic” idea of a pill to prevent all unwanted pregnancies (and possibly, all menstruation) until such time as a woman chooses to conceive? What would the benefits be?
Eve says that if she had it all to do over again, she would still say yes to sex with Adam. Were the lessons she learned worth all that she went through?
What are the chances that Eve’s and Adam’s long-distance relationship will work out?
Do you agree with Eve’s and Claire’s conclusion that abortion must remain legal while better solutions are developed because abortions will be done anyway, and criminalizing them will just endanger poor women?
If you were in Eve’s situation, and the “retrieval and preservation” procedure were available and affordable, what decision do you think you would make?
If the Toronto embryo were yours, and you were ready to have a baby, would you try to use it before trying to conceive the traditional way? Why or why not?
What are the chances that pro-choice and pro-life women will work together toward universal contraception from puberty? If not, why not?
Is the novel primarily a romance, a feminist manifesto, or something else? What age group do you think would be interested in this book? Should mothers and daughters read it together?