Each month we choose a newly released book that we feel is perfect for a book club. Then we roadtest it.

Here are our thoughts on whether Abigail Ulman’s Hot Little Hands is a good pick for for book clubs.

Does the book make for good conversation?

Yes. I really enjoyed it but I can guarantee you that at least one person in your book club probably won’t – it’s that sort of a book. Provocative and interesting, with stories featuring characters who behave in ways that will confound and infuriate some readers. – Nina Kenwood

I finished the book only a few days ago but already it feels like a distant memory – which is never a good sign. This said, I would be interested in having a conversation with someone who loved it because I’d be intrigued to know if I was missing something. I’d also like to talk about her writing style and ‘voice’ because for me it wasn’t particularly unique but it was believable and the dialogue rang true (which is a real skill). – Kara Nicholson

I could talk about this book for hours. I was completely caught up in Ulman’s characters but didn’t know what to make of them. Were they relatable? Likeable? Does that even matter? It actually took a lot of conversations with my colleagues and friends before I could begin to pinpoint how I felt about this collection. And once I started fiercely defending my favourite characters to other readers I appreciated the book more. – Stella Charls

I think Hot Little Hands would make for a really hearty book club discussion on feminism, relationships, desire, sexual promiscuity, friendships, the transition from adolescence to adulthood and all the grey areas in between. – Emily Harms

Are there multiple characters or narrative threads to inspire debate?

Because this is a book of short stories, I think the natural way to discuss it would be to compare stories, rather than characters. There’s plenty to unpack in each one. – Nina Kenwood

I’d be keen to debate Ulman’s writing style in relation to her characters. I felt she wrote a lot better in the third person. Her first person stories felt self-conscious with endings that were often too neat, while her third person stories carried more weight and often more tension – they let the reader do a little more thinking. – Kara Nicholson

What’s interesting about this collection is that it draws together a broad range of narratives under a unifying theme. In theory, all the characters are similar. They’re all teenagers or 20-somethings that are grappling with the idea of growing up in myriad ways. For the most part, they’re also suburban, middle-class female narrators. Yet, in my conversations with other readers I found that the preferences of each person differed greatly in regards to which stories they loved and which stories they had issues with. – Stella Charls

Some of the stories and respective characters are so divisive that they alone would form excellent book club discussions! – Emily Harms

What are the themes a book club might choose to discuss?

The use of humour and how subjective it can be, issues of consent in relationships between teenagers and older people, sexuality, femininity, the ‘likeability’ of a character, motherhood, relationships, being ‘different’ or an outsider in some way, and being a teenager. This book will make you reflect back on some of your own teenage behaviour, for sure. – Nina Kenwood

One thing this book does not lack is ‘themes’! Female sexuality and female friendships are the first two that come to mind. – Kara Nicholson

There’s also a broader discussion about the concept of ‘relatability’ which certainly applies to Hot Little Hands. This notion was summed up last year in the New Yorker who wrote that relatability ‘has become widely and unthinkingly accepted as a criterion of value’. I think it would be worth considering if readers of Hot Little Hands strongly identify with these characters and their experiences, and whether that influences their opinion of the text. – Stella Charls

I personally felt relieved that I wasn’t a 20-something woman anymore when reading it given how self-conscious and pretentious some of them are. This may be an interesting discussion point for book clubs if you’re game to share some of your own personal experiences… – Emily Harms

Could the book be considered offensive by any readers?

There’s no gratuitous violence, or anything of an especially graphic nature in the book, and yet, I think some people could find the content of a few of the stories uncomfortable. Not offensive per se, but perhaps a little disturbing, or a little confronting. – Nina Kenwood

I’m not easily offended so that’s a difficult question. There’s a story with explicit sex between teenagers but I don’t think it’s gratuitous. The story which deals with sexual abuse could be read in such a way as to offend. – Kara Nicholson

Sex plays a consistent role in these stories. Ramona in 'Same Old Same As’ claims to have been sexually abused by her stepfather, and Jenni and Elise in Head to Toe are sixteen and experiencing porn-inspired sex while navigating an adult world. I would argue that in all cases Ulman handles this content tactfully and with a smart sense of humour. – Stella Charls

Some readers may find some of the stories confronting and offensive from a feminist perspective given how submissive the female protagonists are in some of the stories. – Emily Harms

The book we’re roadtesting for book clubs in April is Lisa Gorton’s The Life of Houses.