By a Thread

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

1. How did you respond to the revelations surrounding Paul Russo’s crimes and reputation? Do you think Score accurately represented the fallout associated with Paul’s illicit behaviors?

2. The novel explores the challenges of Balancing Personal and Professional Responsibilities. How do Ally Morales’s and Dominic Russo’s work-life conflicts compare and contrast with your own?

3. Do you relate more to Ally or Dominic? Which facets of their personal backgrounds, emotional conflicts, or life circumstances are most resonant with your own, and why?

4. The novel is primarily set within the Label offices. How does its workplace culture compare to your work experiences? Which facets of the Label are least and/or most believable to you, and why?

Examine the book’s relevance to societal issues, historical events, or cultural themes.

1. The novel explores the complexities of managing work and family life for a single woman in 21st century US. Which aspects of Ally’s experience capture these gender and economic conflicts? Is Ally an empowered woman or a victim of her socioeconomic system?

2. By a Thread conveys the complexities of pursuing romantic relationships within the context of the workplace. How does Ally and Dominic’s relationship subvert and/or reinforce gender norms and power dynamics? Does their workplace romance subvert or reiterate workplace romance tropes?

Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and symbolism.

1. The novel is told from Ally’s and Dominic’s intersecting first-person points of view. How does this choice create narrative and formal tension? How would the novel change if it were written from an alternate point of view?

2. The novel is set in New York City. Discuss the relevance of this setting to the novel’s mood and atmosphere. How does New York pressurize the characters and their relationships? How would their circumstances change if they were living in a different city?

3. Dominic assumes the role of Ally’s financial benefactor. How do his extravagant displays relate to the evolution of Ally’s feelings for him? How would their relationship differ if they were economic equals?

4. Ally’s relationship with her dad is a key facet of her personal life. Explore Score’s representations of familial relationships and chronic illness. Are Score’s representations accurate? Why or why not?