Apples Never Fall

Why does the novel leave ambiguous whether Savannah killed her mother? Why does the author leave the question unresolved?

What do you make of the Prologue in which a man happens upon the bike that Joy abandoned because it had a flat? The man steals the bike and puts it in his vehicle, only to be killed instantly just down the street when a truck plows into his car. It feels like a parable, as if a lesson should be learned. Apply the parable to each of the four Delaney children.

Write an analysis arguing that the best thing to happen to this family, as improbable as it seems, is the family dog eating Joy’s refrigerator note. If the dog hadn’t eaten that note, then the family would never have gone through the therapeutic three weeks of soul searching, which the novel parallels to Joy’s own three-week retreat. Is Steffi the dog the novel’s hero?

How does the novel use the metaphor of sports generally and tennis specifically? How do the characters’ styles of play reflect their personalities?

Research the psychology of young children recognized as sports protégés. How does growing up with the expectation of attaining athletic prominence negatively and positively affect the Delaney children?

In the closing chapters, everything works out for the Delaneys. Investigate the literary implications of a happy conclusion. What is the difference between that and an optimistic ending? Comment on whether the ending fits the storylines of the siblings and the marriage of Joy and Stan or whether the ending seems a bit too easy.

The Delaney story centers on three holidays: Fathers’ Day, Christmas, and Valentine’s Day. How does the novel use each of these holidays to highlight the family’s emotional and psychological profile?

Use Joy’s decision to urge Harry Haddad to find another coach, Troy’s decision to let his ex-wife use their embryos for her pregnancy, and Amy’s considering Simon as a boyfriend to construct the novel’s definition of love.