THE TRUTH ABOUT DELILAH BLUE
Delilah Blue Lovett has always been a bit of an outsider, ever since her father moved her from Toronto to L.A. when she was eight, claiming Delilah’s mother no longer wanted to be part of their family. Twenty now and broke, but determined to be an artist like her errant mom, Delilah attends art class for free—by modeling nude at the front of the room, a decision that lifts the veil from her once insular world. While she struggles to find her talent, her father, her only real companion, is beginning to exhibit telltale signs of early-onset Alzheimer’s. And her mother,
Delilah Blue Lovett has always been a bit of an outsider, ever since her father moved her from Toronto to L.A. when she was eight, claiming Delilah’s mother no longer wanted to be part of their family. Twenty now and broke, but determined to be an artist like her errant mom, Delilah attends art class for free—by modeling nude at the front of the room, a decision that lifts the veil from her once insular world. While she struggles to find her talent, her father, her only real companion, is beginning to exhibit telltale signs of early-onset Alzheimer’s. And her mother, who Delilah always assumed had selfishly abandoned them, is about to reappear with a young daughter in tow . . . and a secret that will change everything. Delilah no longer knows which parent to trust—the only one she can really rely on is the most broken person of all: herself.
In a new novel as witty, sparkling, and poignant as her acclaimed Inside Out Girl, author Tish Cohen uncovers the humor and heart within the most dysfunctional of families.
- Harper Perennial
- Paperback
- June 2010
- 448 Pages
- 9780061875977
Buy the Book
$13.99
About Tish Cohen
Tish Cohen is the author of Town House, a 2008 finalist for the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize Best First Book Award (Canada and Caribbean region), and in development as a feature film with Fox 2000. The film is being produced by Ridley Scott’s Scott Free and will be directed by John Carney, the award-winning, critically acclaimed director of Once. Production is set to begin in New England in 2008. Town House was released to massive media interest in Canada, has been published in Italy, and will be released in Germany in April 2009.
Cohen has also written the preteen novel The Invisible Rules of Zoe Lama, a bestseller in Canada, which was published in 2007. The sequel, The One and Only Zoe Lama, will be published in summer 2008.The Zoe Lama series is in development as a live action TV series with 9Story Entertainment.
Cohen has contributed articles to some of Canada’s largest newspapers, including The Globe and Mail and The National Post. Having grown up in Los Angeles and Orange County in California, and Montreal, Cohen now calls Toronto home. Inside Out Girl is Cohen’s second novel for adults.
Praise
“Cohen, who writes with clarity, wit, and warmth, is brilliant in her penetration of the family layers, presenting all sides of the drama by allowing each character to be the star of their own show. This is a book that won’t be set aside until the last page is turned.”
—Randy Susan Meyers, author of The Murder’s Daughters
“A beautifully written, finely wrought, race-to-the-end novel about finding your family, finding a life and finding yourself. Tish Cohen is the next great thing in women’s fiction.“
—Allison Winn Scotch, New York Times bestselling author of The One That I Want and Time of My Life
“Tish Cohen knows how to slide us into a story, letting us imagine we might know the pathway. But we are wrong because she is a wonderful storyteller and will surprise us at every turn. She has created a cast of characters who are filled with delicious human frailty and love. If you think you know anything about parental love and misguided choices, think again. Cohen peels away the layers of families and human desires and leaves us with a world of hope.”
—Jacqueline Sheehan, New York Times bestselling author of Lost & Found and Now & Then
Discussion Questions
How necessary was it for Victor Mack to keep Lila isolated from friends? Did he overreact in that regard? How do you think Lila’s isolation helped or hindered their relationship?
How necessary was it for Victor Mack to keep Lila isolated from friends? Did he overreact in that regard? How do you think Lila’s isolation helped or hindered their relationship?
Is it possible for a child to play a role in such a crime as parental abduction? Is it possible for both sides to be at fault for such a crime or is the abductor the only guilty one?
Do you like Victor Mack as a person?
Why do you think Kira so obsessed with missing children? Is this Elisabeth’s fault? How much influence do you think an absent sibling has on the one left behind?
In Lila’s childhood, which parent do you think should have been given custody, if either? What other ways do you think Lila could have been protected?
How does the cabin in which Victor chose to raise his daughter relate to the story? Do you see a parallel to the characters’ lives?
Does Victor’s reluctance to offer physical affection to his daughter help or hurt her ability to model nude? How can physical cues and experiences children have affect the way they handle physical experiences as adults?
Should Lila have forgiven her father? Should she have been more empathic toward her mother? How do you think you would have handled the situation if you were Lila?
What role did the coyote play in the story? How does his story parallel the Mack’s story?
Is Lila too harsh with her mother, given all Elisabeth has lived through?
How does Lichty’s criticism differ from Elisabeth’s? Is one type more damaging to Lila than the other? Has there been a time in your life when criticism kept you from pursuing a dream?