The Three Lives of Cate Kay

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

1. What was your rection to the scene in which Annie finally reveals the mistakes she has made? Did you judge her in the way she fears that her own fan base will judge her, or did you think she was judging herself too harshly? Which of your own personal values contributes to your response?

2. Have you ever developed romantic feelings for a close friend or known someone who has? How did this experience compare to Annie’s experience with Amanda?

3. Is there a meaningful difference between hypocrisy and the attempt to cultivate a public image? How much does personal integrity and authenticity matter to you—both in yourself and in the people you know?

4. Have you ever lost—or nearly lost—a significant relationship over a baseless suspicion, as Ry and Annie do? How did your feelings compare to Ry and Annie’s feelings during their breakup and in the aftermath?

5. Many of the characters in this story make grand sacrifices as they try to achieve their professional goals. For you, where is the line between an appropriate and inappropriate sacrifice in pursuit of your ambitions?

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

1. The book takes place over a span of many years; in this time period, how do social attitudes toward lesbian and gay people change? How do the experiences of Annie, Ry, and Jake reflect these changing social attitudes?

2. How would you summarize the American attitude toward success and achievement? What do these terms mean in this cultural context, and how are people expected to think and behave in order to reach America’s mainstream definition of “success”? Which characters in this novel are most impacted by this belief system?

3. In today’s world, many people devote considerable time and attention to the curation of their online personas. How is this experience similar to and different from Ry’s experience of living under constant public scrutiny?

4. Research the story of author Elena Ferrante. What similarities does she have to the fictional Cate? How is the subject matter of her Neapolitan novels (My Brilliant Friend, The Story of a New Name, Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay, and The Story of the Lost Child) similar to the subject matter of Cate’s novels? Are these similarities coincidental or intentional?

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

1. Does this story’s framework as an author’s memoir lend the narrative verisimilitude, or does it instead create ironic distance by introducing a metafictional element? Would your answer change if Annie were the book’s only narrator?

2. What do the settings of Los Angeles and New York City contribute to the book’s thematic exploration of The Gulf Between Public and Private Selves and Seeking Fulfillment in the Wrong Places?

3. How would you describe Annie’s narrative voice? How does it contribute to the book’s tone and to the development of her character?

4. How do the story’s metafictional elements comment on the act of representing truth through writing and storytelling?