BOOK CLUB KIT

BOOK CLUB KIT

Dear Book Lover:

One thing we all have in common, no matter our age, background, or socio-economic
situation, is the desire for safety and security. Solid ground feels good beneath our feet.
And yet, life is anything but surprise-free. Sometimes we find ourselves facing a bridge
we must cross and we cant see what waits on the other side. Fear can keep us glued to
where we stand; stuck in a place that is no longer meant for us.
A BRIDGE ACROSS THE OCEAN is a novel that imagines the lives of three women, two in
the past and one in the present, who wrestle with this notion that we cant stay where we
dont belong. Setting a good portion of this book on the beautiful, mysterious RMS Queen
Mary meant I had a hauntingly evocative backdrop to unpack Simones, Annalieses, and
Brettes separate stories. This is a novel about the resiliency of the human spirit despite
the worst we can do to each other, the devotion of mothers to their children, and the
courage that love lends us to cross a bridge unto the great unknown.
I was inspired by the more than 20,000 European war brides who emigrated to America
aboard the RMS Queen Mary in 1946, and who left all that was familiar to join their
American servicemen husbands in a new land. Each woman stepped onto the deck of
this famed ship carrying her own personal story of the long war shed survived. Stories
of war and love and courage always leave echoes in their wake. Always. And we novelists
have the distinct pleasure of creatively making them heard. I hope this book is an
unforgettable voyage for you.

All the best, my friend,

Susan Meissner

Readers Guide
1

A Bridge Across the Ocean opens with a spectral encounter aboard the RMS Queen Mary on
the first day of her maiden voyage, followed by Brettes unwanted meeting with a ghost in the
present day at a baby shower. What was your initial reaction to these two scenes? Have you ever
experienced something that had no earthly explanation? If you had Brettes strange ability, what
do you think you would do with it?

2
3

Which of the three war bridesAnnaliese, Simone, or Phoebedid you most connect with
emotionally? Why?
Talk for a moment about the friendship between Annaliese and Katrine. What do you think drew
them together? Have you ever had or do you have a friend like these two had in each other?
What do you think Katrine would have thought of Annalieses decision to board the Queen Mary
the way that she did?

4
5

Would you have made all the same life-changing choices that Simone and Annaliese made?
When Katrine falls in love with John, Annaliese remarks that theyve only known each other a
short while. Katrine says that it seems like longer, as if to suggest Annaliese surely knew that
love didnt take note of calendar pages. Do agree or can you relate? Why do you think Simone
and Everett also fell in love over a stretch of just weeks?

Early in the book, Aunt Ellen tells Brette that the Drifters are afraid of what they cant see, just
like us. Its as if theres a bridge they need to cross. And its like crossing over the ocean, Brette.
They cant see the other side. So they are afraid to cross it. Have you ever faced a figurative
bridge you had to cross where you couldnt see the other side? What did you do?

As Simone prepares to leave her old life behind to board the Queen Mary, she reflects on the
people who stood in as parental figures when she desperately needed them: Madame Didion,
Henri and Collette, the older British couple who helped her prepare for the sailing. How do you
think these people made their mark on Simone? Why do you think Simone thought it best not to
stay in contact with Phoebe after they immigrated to America? Was it the right choice?

8
9

Were Brettes fears about passing on her special ability completely understandable? Would you
have had the same fears? Would you have had children anyway, if you were Brette?
When Annaliese is about to be detained on the ship and Simone decides to intervene and help
her, she says to Annaliese: If I do nothing when I know I can help you, I can never again be the
girl that I was, I will only ever be that other girl, the one the war tried to make of me. What do
you think she means here? What is at stake for her?

10

Discuss the idea that the ship is an entity with a soul. What was your reaction to this revelation?
Do you have a special fondness for a place that feels like it is more than just a mere location?

Also by

Susan Meissner
You will love this book.

MARISA
DE LOS SANTOS

S TA R S O V E R

S unset

B O U L E VA R D
a novel

Susan Meissner
Author of SECRETS OF A CHARMED LIFE

Two women working in

Journey from the present day

Hollywood during its Golden Age

to World War II England, as two

discover the joy and heartbreak

sisters are separated by the

of true friendship . . .

chaos of wartime . . .

susanlmeissner.com
Susan.Meissner
@SusanMeissner