BUCK’S PANTRY
BOOK CLUB DISCUSSION IDEAS
How did you feel at the end of Buck’s Pantry?
What would you say to a potential reader or book club who is considering whether Buck’s Pantry might be a good fit for them?
Of the three primary characters in Buck’s Pantry—Gillian, Lianna and Aimee—who resonated most deeply for you at the beginning of the book?
Did that change as the story progressed?
Was there any character who you initially found yourself at odds with?
Did that change?
At what point in the story (if ever) did you begin to see commonality between Gillian and Lianna?
Or if commonality feels too strong a word, did you find that they complemented each other?
When Lianna first arrives in Texas, she feels as alienated as if she’s landed on the moon, and not in a good way. Have you ever arrived at a new place and felt the same?
Did that change for you? Or, did your initial, unfavorable impressions only deepen?
Through the story, Gillian begins to realize that a lot of her perspective has been shaped by ideas that she blindly accepted without question, some of which she no longer agrees with.
Have you ever had a similar experience?
What was that like for you?
Much of Aimee’s journey in the story is about setting new boundaries with people close to her.
Have you ever had to reset a relationship with someone you loved and who did not wish for you to change?
What helped you through that experience?
Khristin has shared publicly that she grew up with a mother who suffered from mental illness and those experiences informed the writing of Buck’s Pantry. Do you find yourself thinking differently about mental illness after reading this story than, perhaps, you did before?
Was there a moment in the story that made you pause or reflect on your own life or beliefs? Did Buck’s Pantry shift your perspective in any way—on relationships, assumptions, or even yourself?
If so, what insight (big or small) are you walking away with?
Lianna, Gillian, and Aimee all face different versions of societal expectation. How do their journeys reflect (or challenge) what women are “supposed” to be or do?
Food and hospitality are ways that Gillian and Trip are able to contribute, which resonate for Lianna and Benjamin, even though they hold very different viewpoints about the world.
Do you have friends with differing perspectives that you’ve been able to find such bridges with? What are the bridges you’ve found?
