Book Club Night Kit

One & Only

Maurene Goo

Cozy night

A warm, funny romance about a woman whose life gets upended by fate and by a long-buried family secret, from the author of Throwback. It is the kind of book that makes you want to text someone you love, which makes for a tender, chatty club night.

Soft Pants, Warm Mugs, One Family Secret

Come read One & Only with us, a swoony, funny, fate-tangled novel worth a whole evening of good snacks. Grilled cheese, barley tea, and blankets provided; opinions optional.

Reading level: Easy Pages: 369

Best for: A club that likes to curl up, laugh a lot, and let the conversation wander into their own family stories.

Discussion

Warm-up

1.Where did you do most of your reading of this one, and did you find yourself hurrying back to it? Describe your ideal setup for a book like this (blanket, snack, time of day).
2.Pick a moment that made you laugh out loud or grin at your own book. Read us the setup without giving anything away.

Digging in

1.This is a book about a curveball thrown by fate. When has a detour you did not choose turned out to be the thing you are most grateful for?
2.Maurene Goo writes love and family with a lot of affectionate teasing. Which family in your life talks like that, and does it feel like warmth to you or like armor?
3.Was there a scene where you felt genuinely taken care of as a reader, where the book slowed down and let something tender happen? What did that do for you?
4.Families hold things back for all kinds of reasons, some of them loving. Is there a question about your own family you have never asked, and what keeps you from asking it?

Going deep

1.By the last stretch of the book, what did you find yourself hoping for, not for the plot, but for the main character as a person? Did the book honor that hope in a way that felt kind to you?
2.The story suggests we are shaped as much by what we are told as by what is true. After finishing, did you feel more forgiving toward the people who kept things from the people they loved, or less? Answer with a feeling rather than a plot point.

On the table & to sip

To eat

Kimchi grilled cheese, cut into small triangles

Goo's books live where Korean American home cooking meets pure comfort food. Sharp cheddar, butter, a crackly pan, done in ten minutes a round.

A pot of soft-boiled egg and scallion rice porridge (juk) with little bowls of toppings

The ultimate someone-is-taking-care-of-you dish, which is exactly the mood of a cozy night about family. Make it ahead, keep it warm, let people ladle their own.

Honey butter popcorn and a tin of soft chocolate chip cookies

Sweet, a little silly, and endlessly passable around a couch, perfect for a romance that wants you to have a good time.

To sip

Barley tea (bori-cha), served hot in mugs (no alcohol)

Non-alcoholic. Toasty, faintly sweet, the quiet household staple that makes a room feel like somebody's kitchen.

Yuja (citron) hot toddy

A spoonful of yuja marmalade, hot water, a splash of whiskey. Bright and golden, like the book's sense of humor warming up something serious.

Makgeolli served cold in small bowls

Cloudy, lightly fizzy rice wine, low in alcohol and easy to sip slowly through a long conversation.