Book Club Guide: Love With a Chance of Drowning

Love With a Chance of Drowning is the thoughtful, honest, and humorous memoir detailing the time Torre DeRoche and her new love set sail on a 32-foot boat to explore the remote islands of Oceania. It’s funny and real and would be a great book for a book club to discuss. Both this and her follow-up book were featured in our list: “Travel Changes You: 20 Books and 20 Movies About Self Discovery.” Check out our Love with Chance of Drowning Book Review for more on what we thought of it.

Suggested discussion questions:

1. How would you describe this book? Was it a romance? An adventure story? A memoir?
2. What did you think of Torre’s decision to join Ivan on his adventure? Did it surprise you? Would you have done the same thing?
3. In interviews, Torre has said “Big risks yield big rewards.” Do you agree?
4. Torre and Ivan are different in many ways; how do differences help make (or break) a relationship? (Spoiler alert: you can check out her blog to learn more about where their relationship went after the book.)
5. Sailing is often romanticized in videos and stories, but Torre tells a different side; what is your experience with sailing? Why are we so fascinated with the idea of dropping everything and going on lone adventures like sailing?
6. Another part of travel that’s often romanticized is remote islands; what are your thoughts on visiting destinations like that? Is it possible to keep tourists away?
7. Ivan struggles with his relationship with his family, especially his mother; how did that affect his relationship with Torre and their adventure?
8. Torre and Ivan’s boat is named Amazing Grace (with the doomed dinghy named Gracie); what would you name a boat if you had one?
9. Do you see yourself more like Ivan or like Torre?
10. Options for a movie have been purchased by Hollywood–who should play Torre and who should play Ivan?

Other suggestions for your discussion:

• Check out this interview with Torre DeRoche or her blog, The Fearful Adventurer, for some background on the story and her life since.
• Eat a meal made of all preserved food just like they had to do on the boat–canned beans, canned vegetables, flour, etc.
• Then end with some delicious fresh tropical fruit and a cold beer!
• Play ocean sounds in the background while you meet.
• Be very adventurous/fancy and hold your meeting at a pool, a restaurant at a marina…or maybe on a boat!