One Day in December

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

1. Do you believe in love at first sight or in the concept of a “100 percent” love? What real-world evidence argues for or against these ideas?

2. Jack and Laurie kissed each other when Jack was still in a relationship with Sarah. How did you feel about this development? Would your reaction be different if this were a real-life event?

3. Given Laurie’s feelings for Jack, is she wrong to marry Oscar? Why or why not? What would you choose to do in similar circumstances?

4. Is Sarah justified in getting angry at Laurie for choosing not to tell her that Jack is the man from the bus stop? When are close friends justified in keeping secrets from one another? When is keeping a secret definitely the wrong decision?

5. Would Laurie and Jack have succeeded as a couple if they had begun an official relationship on the day they met, or do you think they needed time to mature? How do your real-world observations of successful partnerships inform your answer?

Examine the book’s relevance to societal issues, historical events, or cultural themes.

1. Laurie feels that Lucille dismisses and disrespects her. How common are such feelings between married people and their in-laws? What kinds of family dynamics tend to create these issues? How do cultural expectations influence people’s reactions to conflicts with in-laws?

2. How does Silver draw upon prevailing cultural attitudes towards Christmas and New Year’s Eve to structure the novel and develop its characters? What meanings might be lost for readers who do not share these cultural touchstones?

3. How are the characters in the novel impacted by travel? Is there any evidence—anecdotal or scientific—that travel has these kinds of impacts in real life?

Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and symbolism. 

1. Laurie and Jack’s respective maturation processes are as much a part of this story as their romance is. How do these two characters change over the course of the story? Which experiences are most responsible for these changes? Which other characters are the most influential?

2. The novel explores both romantic love and the love that grows between friends. What do the story’s plot and characterizations suggest about the importance of each form of love? What does each form of love contribute to Laurie and Jack’s lives, and what happens when either kind of love is absent?

3. What does the metaphor of swimming contribute to the novel’s thematic exploration of growing into adult life? What messages does this metaphor convey about the emotional and practical experiences that adults experience at different stages of life?

4. The majority of the novel’s action takes place in London, but the main characters also travel to Thailand, Australia, Scotland, and Belgium. To what degree are these settings significant in and of themselves, and to what degree are they just “not London”?