Reading Group Guide: Blood Sugar
1.
Blood Sugar is narrated in the first person, allowing us to become entwined with Ruby’s inner thoughts and judgments. How did this affect your reading experience? Do you think that you would have felt differently about Ruby if the story had been told in a different way?
2.
Many of the characters in Blood Sugar are guilty of lying, both to protect themselves and others. Think of some examples of different lies in the book, big and small, and discuss if you think they are justified.
3.
Did you identify with Ruby or have empathy for her? Did you find yourself rooting for her to get away with her crimes? Why or why not?
4.
Compare and contrast the different ways that characters cope with their grief in Blood Sugar, taking a particular look at Ruby, Gertrude, and Gabrielle.
5.
Though Blood Sugar is a suspense novel, it is at times quite funny and poignant. How does the novel play with genre definitions? Did it surprise you?
6.
Discuss the role of therapy and therapists in Blood Sugar. Why do you think Ruby is a therapist? Do you think she is a good one?
7.
In the end, Ruby is saved from punishment by those who have benefitted from her past kindnesses. What was your reaction to her acquittal? Do “good” actions ever make up for “bad” ones?
8.
What do you imagine happens to Ruby after the novel’s end? Do you think her habit of murdering once each decade will continue?
9.
At its core, Blood Sugar is a book about the extraordinary things people do for love. What is the role of love in crime fiction?
10. Do you think that the ending of Blood Sugar is just? How do Ruby’s actions change our conception of morality and justice in the book?