The Things We Wish Were True (25 page)

AUTHOR’S NOTE

Several years ago, a little boy nearly drowned in our neighborhood pool. In the days after this event, I noticed how it united and changed our neighborhood.

I could say that this novel was begun in the ensuing days, but that’s not entirely true. Instead, I think the novel began in earnest at our end-of-the-season swim-team banquet several weeks later, when that same little boy went forward to get his swim-team trophy. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house as we all witnessed the miracle of him—healthy and whole—going forward to accept a trophy for the thing that had nearly killed him. There was so much hope—so much joy—in that moment, and I knew then I would write about it somehow, some way, if for no other reason than to try to lasso some of what I felt whoosh through the room in that moment.

I hope that in the final scene, when Cutter goes back in that water, you felt a tiny bit of what we all felt at that swim-team banquet. And I hope that maybe whatever you’ve been scared to dive into won’t scare you so much anymore.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Abundant thanks go out to the following people:

Liza Dawson, my agent, who called late one Tuesday night and told me not to give up, and then didn’t give up, either.

Tara Parsons, Jodi Warshaw, Nicci Jordan Hubert, and the team at Lake Union. Without your valuable skills, none of this could have happened. Thanks for making this story so much better.

My husband, Curt, and our kids: Jack, Ashleigh, Matt, Rebekah, Brad, and Annaliese. Home is wherever all of you are. I won the family lottery. And specifically to Curt, I am thankful every day I get to do this life with you. Your wisdom, support, and encouragement sustain me. Another twenty-five? Let’s do it!

Ariel Lawhon, you’re the other half of my brain—which should terrify you but does not. I bless the day our lives converged.

My mom, Sandy Brown. I can only hope to be the mother to my kids that you’ve been to me.

The local writers who meet to write, brainstorm, gripe, and celebrate this gig. Nobody gets it like you guys do. Erika Marks, Kim Wright Wiley, Kim Boykin, and Joy Callaway—I don’t know what I’d do without you!

The friends Curt and I do life with: Tracy and Douglas Graham, Billy and Jill Dean, Lisa and Mike Shea, Dawn and Jamil Massey, Kim and Sam Young, April and Paul Duncan, Terry and Jen Tolbert, Beth and Steve Burton, and Amy and Clay Gilliam. Thanks for asking about my novels and always being willing to raise a glass of champagne when I’m ready to celebrate.

My neighbors. (I’m not even going to attempt to write down all your names!) You share the neighborhood that served as the inspiration for the setting of this novel, so you know better than anyone else how special it is. I’ll see you guys at the pool!

Every teacher who ever nudged me in the direction of writing and gave me the tools to do it better.

The Master Storyteller: I trust You to keep telling my story the way You see fit. The pen is in Your capable hand, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I Chronicles 16:8-12

(And Billy Dean, that Death Cab reference was just for you. Jill Dean, in the next book I promise to name a character after you!)

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

1. What is each character—Zell, Jencey, Cailey, Bryte, Lance—lacking when the story begins? Are they aware of it? Why or why not?
   
2. Jencey seems to feel a good bit of shame and guilt over Arch’s arrest. Is this reasonable? To be expected? Is she complicit, as Arch claims?
   
3. Why do you think Jencey tells Everett the truth about why she came back before telling anyone else?
   
4. Why does Jencey go to the hideaway night after night when she first returns? Boredom? Longing? Nostalgia? Something else?
   
5. Why does Zell keep Cailey long after most people would have sent her back? What does this say about Zell? (Your answer could be positive or negative.)
   
6. Bryte and Jencey were friends as children. How does that play into their relationship in the novel? Do either of them feel a sense of “claim” on the other? Should they? How important are old friends to you?
   
7. Were you surprised at the identity of Jencey’s stalker? Why or why not?
   
8. Zell senses something is “off” about James Doyle, but she’s the only one in the neighborhood who seems to. Ultimately, she’s right. Have you ever had a sense like this about someone? Did you listen to it? Did it ever prove true?
   
9. What ultimately makes Everett forgive Bryte? Should he have forgiven her?
   
10. What makes Bryte hand the phone back to Everett? Would she have done that at the beginning of the book?
    
11. In the end, Jencey “gives” the hideaway to her daughters. Why do you think she does this? What does the hideaway symbolize?
    
12. When does the title come into play in the book? What character expresses it? How does it apply to each character? To you?
    

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Photo © 2016 Portrait Innovations

Marybeth Mayhew Whalen is the author of five previous novels and speaks to women’s groups around the United States. She is the cofounder of the popular women’s fiction site She Reads and is active in a local writers’ group. Marybeth and her husband, Curt, have been married for twenty-four years and are the parents of six children, ranging from young adult to elementary age. The family lives in North Carolina. Marybeth spends most of her time in the grocery store but occasionally escapes long enough to scribble some words. She is always at work on her next novel. You can find her at 
www.marybethwhalen.com
or
www.shereads.org
.