Tigers, Not Daughters

By Samantha Mabry

The Torres sisters dream of escape. Escape from their needy father and their San Antonio neighborhood. After her senior year of high school, Ana, the oldest sister, falls to her death from her bedroom window. A year later, her three sisters are still consumed by grief and haunted by Ana’s memory. But then strange things start happening around the house. The sisters begin to wonder if Ana is trying to send them a message—and what exactly she’s trying to say. Samantha Mabry weaves an aching, magical novel that is part family drama, part ghost story, and part love story.

Book club questions for Tigers, Not Daughters by Samantha Mabry

Use these discussion questions to guide your next book club meeting.

The book’s title comes from a line in Shakespeare’s King Lear, where King Lear’s daughters are accused of driving their father mad. In what ways does the title speak to the Torres sisters’ relationship with their father? What does the title tell you about the Torres sisters themselves?

This novel is interspersed with chapters told from the point of view of the boys across the street. What does this additional perspective add to the story? What do the boys observe about the Torres sisters that the sisters cannot see themselves?

The members of the Torres family express their grief over Ana’s death in different ways. What are some of the ways that each character deals with the loss? What does each family member’s unique way of grieving say about that character?

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Rosa has a strong connection to nature. How does this influence the way she responds to the return of Ana’s ghost? What role does nature play throughout the novel, especially in the ending?

Iridian says that she writes down her father’s hurtful words because “it transferred their power and made her feel less insignificant,” (p. 40). What does her repetitive writing of “I’m sorry” say about her feelings toward the hurtful words she spoke to Ana on the night Ana died? Does Iridian’s belief in the power of words has any connection to her love of writing romance stories?

The Torres sisters’ mother died when they when young. Is she present in this story? In what ways

Near the end of the novel, Iridian says “she was fed up with men trying to leave their bruises all over her and her sisters” (p. 227). Which men in the story have left their bruises on the sisters, and how?

Iridian’s favorite book is The Witching Hour by Anne Rice, and she says that “at the end of The Witching Hour, the ghost wins,” (p. 249). Does the ghost “win” in the end of Tigers, Not Daughters? What does “winning” mean here?

The book ends with the image of a scrap of paper that reads “I want,” which Rosa says “could’ve meant anything,” (p. 279). What do you think it means for each of the characters? Why is this where the author chooses to end the story?

Tigers, Not Daughters Book Club Questions PDF

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This recommended reading and discussion guide are shared and sponsored in partnership with Algonquin.

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