Book Club Night Kit

Exit Party

Emily St. John Mandel

Cozy night

A glittering Los Angeles party, a mysterious double and a vanished host start a story that drifts from a fractured future America to Greek seaside cliffs, a domed Paris and a colony on the moon. It's an eerie, beautiful book that's best talked over with a warm mug and good company.

An Exit Party (But Please Stay Awhile)

Bring your copy of Exit Party and your coziest socks for an evening of lemon soup, hot chocolate and gentle talk about doubles, faraway places and finding home. Blankets provided, all opinions welcome.

Reading level: Moderate Pages: 320

Best for: A warm, curious club that likes quiet, haunting stories and long conversations about what makes a place feel like home

Discussion

Warm-up

1.The book opens at a sparkling party in Silver Lake. If you could step into that room for five minutes before anything strange happens, what would you want to eat, wear, or overhear?
2.The story travels from Los Angeles to the Greek coast, a domed Paris and the moon. Which setting would you most like to curl up in for a weekend, and what would you bring with you?

Digging in

1.The story begins in the first spring after a collapse. What small comforts or everyday rituals in the book stayed with you as signs that life still goes on?
2.Doubles and shadow worlds run all through this novel. Have you ever had a moment when you felt like you were living a slightly different version of your own life, and how did that feel?
3.Many of the people in this book are far from where they started. Where did you feel the strongest sense of home, or of longing for it, while you were reading?
4.Mandel often finds beauty in unsettling times. Was there a passage or image that felt unexpectedly gentle or comforting to you, even in a dark moment?

Going deep

1.Without giving away where the story goes, how did you feel as the different threads and places began to connect? Did the book leave you feeling unsettled, reassured, or something softer and harder to name?
2.Thinking about the whole book, did it change how you feel about the people and places you'd miss most if the world shifted under your feet? Who or what came to mind as you read?

On the table & to sip

To eat

Avgolemono (Greek lemon chicken and rice soup) served in mugs

A nod to the seaside cliffs of Greece. It's bright, soothing and easy to make ahead and keep warm on the stove.

Mini croque monsieur bites

Melty, buttery Parisian comfort for the domed city chapters. Bake them on a sheet pan so the host isn't stuck at the stove.

Lemon olive oil cake with a moon-white powdered sugar dusting

Mediterranean flavors with a quiet wink at the lunar colony. It's simple, tender and a little indulgent with a spoonful of Greek yogurt and honey.

To sip

Greek mountain tea with honey and lemon (no alcohol)

An herbal tea (sideritis) that's calming and fragrant and brings a bit of the Greek hillsides to the table. Caffeine-free and good for everyone.

Parisian-style chocolat chaud (no alcohol)

Thick, rich hot chocolate for the Paris stretch of the journey. Serve small cups, because it's decadent.

Metaxa hot toddy

Greek brandy stirred into hot water with honey, lemon and a cinnamon stick. It's a warming grown-up nightcap tied to the resort on the cliffs.