Maybe Next Time

Watch the movie Groundhog Day and compare it to Maybe Next Time, charting the character arc of the protagonists who are reliving the same day. Aside from metaphysical concerns, what larger emotional journey does each protagonist take? What realizations or epiphanies do they achieve? Consider whether the emotional arcs are similar or vary on significant points and what that means for each narrative.

Discuss the novel as a romance, examining the arc of Emma and Dan’s relationship in terms of standard romance tropes like the meet cute, surprise baby, or second-chance romance. What role does romantic love play in the novel, and how does that fit in with other relationships and responsibilities?

Consider the novel’s use of a repeating day as a device to nudge Emma into acknowledging her ever-expanding to-do list and urging her to refocus her priorities. In what ways is Emma’s life a larger comment on the socio-cultural situation of working mothers who continually navigate competing demands? What does the novel suggest as a solution to rebalance work and life?

Discuss the device of text messages in presenting an alternative or parallel narrative to events in each chapter. Consider also discussing how Dan’s letters offer a deeper or different narrative than the surface action. What is the effect of this blend of voices, and how do they help convey the moral of the story?

Examine Dan’s letters as another way the novel experiments with time. Why does the novel present the letters nonchronologically? In what ways do they reflect or inform the novel’s themes?

Discuss female friendships as they are formed, sustained, or imperiled in the novel. In what ways do other women provide foils or parallels to Emma? How do they help contribute to the lessons the novel aspires to teach her?

Explore the theme of relationships through Emma’s interactions with her children. How does her time with them contribute to the lessons she learns? How does her relationship with her own parents reflect on or impact the relationships she pursues with her kids?

Discuss the ways that the novel comments on modern life, including modern conveniences, social media, work environments, and the ubiquitous cell phone. What place does the novel find for these modern demands, in the end? How does it make an argument for the things that Emma regards as more important?