Fatal Inheritance book club notes

An intoxicating novel set in 1948, about dysfunctional families and long-hidden secrets, set against a backdrop of all-day pool parties, cocktails and glamour, Fatal Inheritance is the captivating story of a woman rediscovering herself, amidst the razzle-dazzle and decadence of the French Riviera.

Discussion points and questions:

• How convincing is the author’s portrayal of Eve and Clifford’s marriage? Did you have sympathy for both parties? Why do you think Clifford married Eve? Why did she marry him? Do you think marriages like this one still exist in the days of easy divorce?
• What do you think might have happened in Eve’s life if she hadn’t received her surprise inheritance? Do you think she’d have stayed with Clifford?
• Did you get a sense of what life in England was like after the war? Did any of it surprise you?
• The contrast between depressed, war-ravaged England and the relatively-unscathed Riviera would have been immense. In what ways does the author try to convey that contrast? Is she successful?
• Somerset Maugham described the Riviera as ‘A sunny place for shady people.’ Does the book bear this description out? In what way? Which characters would you say were the shadiest? Conversely are there any noble characters in the book? Which ones come off best, and why?
• Did you build up a picture of Guy Lester? How would you describe him? Do you think he atoned sufficiently for what he did?
• What about Diana? Did you find yourself sympathising more with her as the book went on? Was she more sinned against than sinning?
• How much of Duncan’s antagonism can be put down to grief, do you think? Does he redeem himself at all by the end of the book? Do you think he and Clemmie can ever really make a go of their relationship?
• Is Noel a good match for Eve? Does he make a satisfactory ‘hero’?
• What are your feelings towards Caroline Finch? Do you have any sympathy for her, given the restricted options open to women of her age and social class at that time?
• What role does Sully play in the book? Did you believe in his unrequited love for Gloria? What kind of couple would they have made if they had actually got together?
• Describe Eve’s relationship with her mother. How would it have felt to be raised by a mother like that? Does it explain Eve’s decisions? Did you have any sympathy with her mother by the end?
• At the centre of Fatal Inheritance is a mystery. Why did Guy Lester make provision for Eve in his will? Did you develop any theories of your own as the book progressed? When the real reason was finally revealed did you feel satisfied?
• How does Eve change as a character over the course of the book? Did you approve of the choices she has made by the end? What are your hopes for how her life will progress into the future?