Printable Book Club Questions for Sex and Vanity by Kevin Kwan

What were your first impressions of Lucie? Did that change at all as the story went on?
Let’s talk about the Capri setting at the beginning! What did you think about all the wedding details?
Why do you think Lucie was so annoyed at George in the beginning? Were you surprised he kept pursuing her?
What was the key factor that caused Lucie to give in to her temptations with George?
Charlotte walks in on Lucie and George getting intimate, which is also being filmed by a drone. Let’s talk about Charlotte’s reaction, why do you think she thought Lucie was “ruined” by the experience?
On page 141, Charlotte says to Lucie, “On some level, I understand it. After all, he is Chinese…you’ve always been caught by the two cultures. No matter how or where you’ve been brought up, you would be predisposed toward someone like him.” Lucie considers this one of the most hurtful, sensitive things that Charlotte has ever said to her. Let’s talk about this.
Why do you think Lucie seemed to embrace her white side more than her Asian side? How did the treatment and racism she faced from her dad’s side play into this?
Flash forward to 2018 and Lucie is engaged to Cecil, a very wealthy and eccentric guy. What did you think about Cecil? Why did Lucie choose to be with someone like that?
Let’s talk about the moment when Lucie and George are reunited again.
When Lucie was a child, she witnesses her father have a fatal heart attack and she pushed that memory aside. It’s not until George notices one of her paintings is full of grief, which represents her father, that it all comes back to Lucie. How did this impact Lucie going forward?
Lucie tries to ignore her attraction to George but she can’t. She eventually does break up with Cecil. But why do you think she was still so resistant to George?
Charlotte changed a lot from the start of the novel. What caused Charlotte to have a different opinion of George?
Lucie take some cruel actions, including trying to stop George’s mother Rosemary from moving into the same apartment as her mother. What did you think about that scene? Was she forgiven too easily?
Rosemary says to Lucie on page 305, “You’ve been deluded into being racist toward yourself.” She then explains that Lucie’s mother wanted her to have a close relationship with the Churchill side so she could still have a close link to her father. Let’s talk about these revelations.
Lucie finally gives into to her feelings for George and they move to Capri. Were you satisfied by the happy ending or did you want more from it?
If you read the Crazy Rich Asians series, how did this book compare to those?