The New Couple in 5B

How do the 1963 chapters narrated by Willa Winter intersect with the primary narrative of The New Couple in 5B? What major themes or ideas appear in both narrative arcs?

Compare and contrast Paul Winter and Chad Lowan, the murderous husbands at the heart of the novel. How does the novel explain their similarities? Given that roughly 60 years elapse between the two storylines, what has and has not changed about the culture that gives rise to male violence against women?

Many of the novel’s primary characters—including Rosie, Willa, Chad, and Dana—are artists. How are art and creativity represented in the novel? How does art serve as a means to process emotionally difficult experiences?