The Seven Year Slip

Toward the end of the novel, Clementine separates the two versions she sees of herself by naming them “Clementine” and “Lemon.” What does this say about how Clementine views herself? What is Iwan’s impact on shaping “Lemon”?

In her “Readers Guide” to the book, Poston notes how she wrote three different versions of the text throughout different periods of her life, and she views the book as a time capsule. How does this information about the text influence your understanding of its major themes?

Clementine often compares life in Apartment B4 to watercolor painting. How do these two symbols influence one another’s meaning in the novel?

What role does friendship have in the novel? How do Clementine and Iwan’s friends shape the development of their characters and choices?

A few characters from Poston’s novel The Dead Romantics are mentioned or have cameos within The Seven Year Slip. Is there any significance to these inclusions? What does knowing that all of Poston’s novels take place in the same universe say about The Seven Year Slip and the characters within?

Explore the symbolic significance of Iwan’s restaurant Hyacinth. How does its transformation address the novel’s major themes?

Compare and contrast Analea and Rhonda’s influence on shaping Clementine’s expectations for herself.

How does the novel’s exploration of suicide contribute to its overall tone? Why might Poston have addressed this topic in a romance novel?