What happens when family secrets span generations? When loyalty and survival become entangled with trauma?

In Part 1 of our deep dive into Paper Roses by Debby Show, we're introduced to 13-year-old Abigail in 1970s San Jose as her world spirals into chaos—all before breakfast. From her brilliant but troubled younger sister to a mother medicated into numbness and a father whose absence is deafening, this opening section sets the stage for a haunting exploration of inherited dysfunction.

ABOUT THE BOOK
When Abigail Jones learns of her sister Nikki’s third arrest, she’s pulled into a spiral of questions: Was it fate, family, or something buried even deeper? As Abigail begins to piece together the past, she uncovers a trail of silence and survival that stretches across continents and generations.

From a 1940s Moroccan household where a young maid bears witness to the origins of a generational wound, to the sun-washed suburbs of 1970s California, and finally to 2023—told through podcast transcripts, court documents, and splintered memory—Paper Roses follows Abigail’s search for answers, her confrontation with the sister she thought she knew, and her reckoning with a legacy neither of them could escape.

A haunting story of loyalty, silence, and the cost of breaking free, Paper Roses is perfect for readers of The Vanishing Half, Little Fires Everywhere, and The Paper Palace.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Author Debby Show is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and School Psychologist based in California. With years of experience working with individuals and families, she brings a deep understanding of human behavior, relationships, and generational dynamics to her fiction.
Though Paper Roses is her debut novel, Debby has honed her craft through coaching, writing workshops, and a lifelong passion for storytelling. Inspired by real history and intimate truths, her work explores how the past shapes who we become.

She also happens to be the sister of a rather infamous public figure—a detail that has made family gatherings interesting, to say the least. While this is a work of fiction, it draws inspiration from real-life experiences. That said, the spotlight in this story belongs to the generations of women whose legacies are woven across time.

ABOUT THE SIDE QUEST BOOK CLUB PODCAST
Reading is the ultimate side quest. Side Quest is a casual book club podcast full of literary adventures. Join Slava and Jonathan as they discuss the books they are reading, life, history, belief systems, and more. Explore world-building, characters, and story development, and share some laughs along the way.

New episodes drop every TUES.

LISTEN TO THE AUDIO VERSION
This is a video version of our audio podcast. Want to listen on the go?
Find *Side Quest Book Club* on your favorite podcast app.

🎧 **Subscribe on Any Platform https://linktr.ee/asidequest

JOIN THE GUILD
🌐 Official Website / Quest Log:
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CREDITS
Hosts: Slava and Jonathan
Podcast Hosting & Distribution by Transistor.fm https://transistor.fm/how-to-start-a-podcast/?via=slava
Intro/Outro Music: HoliznaCC0v
Editing by: CharacterNorth6081
Reddit - https://www.reddit.com/u/CharacterNorth6081/s/k3mFE9aGqh
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/parasss.__

Raskolnikov finally confesses — but does he ever actually believe he did anything wrong? We're joined by special guest J.F. Ramos to close out Crime and Punishment with hot takes on guilt, redemption, nihilism, and what Dostoevsky was really trying to say in that epilogue. We also get into small talk as a gateway to real connection, why your friend count matters more than your therapist, and somehow end up comparing Raskolnikov to Holden Caulfield.

Next episode, we're reading Paper Roses by indie author Debbie Shaw — drop your Crime and Punishment takes in the comments before we move on.

ABOUT THE BOOK

In the bleak heat of 19th-century St. Petersburg, Rodion Raskolnikov, a brilliant but destitute former student, wanders the streets nursing a dangerous theory. He believes that "extraordinary" men are above the moral law of the masses and have the right—even the duty—to commit crimes for the greater good.

To prove his superiority, Raskolnikov executes a cold-blooded plan to murder an unscrupulous old pawnbroker. The "perfect crime" quickly spirals into a psychological nightmare. Haunted by guilt, paranoia, and the mind games of investigator Porfiry Petrovich, Raskolnikov begins to crumble.

His only hope for redemption lies in Sonya Marmeladov, a young woman forced into hardship who maintains a self-sacrificing faith. As the walls close in, Raskolnikov must choose between a life of mental imprisonment or the path toward spiritual rebirth and confession.

ABOUT THE SIDE QUEST BOOK CLUB PODCAST
Reading is the ultimate side quest. Side Quest is a casual book club podcast full of literary adventures. Join Slava and Jonathan as they discuss the books they are reading, life, history, belief systems, and much more. Explore world-building, characters, and story development—and share some laughs along the way.

New episodes drop every TUES.

LISTEN TO THE AUDIO VERSION
This is a video version of our audio podcast. Want to listen on the go?
Find *Side Quest Book Club* on your favorite podcast app.

🎧 **Subscribe on Any Platform https://linktr.ee/asidequest

JOIN THE GUILD
🌐 Official Website / Quest Log:
https://www.thesidequestpodcast.com/

💬 Follow Our Adventures on Social Media:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thesidequestpodcast
TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@sidequestpodcast

CREDITS
Hosts: Slava and Jonathan
Podcast Hosting & Distribution by Transistor.fm https://transistor.fm/how-to-start-a-podcast/?via=slava
Intro/Outro Music: HoliznaCC0v
Editing by: CharacterNorth6081
- Reddit - https://www.reddit.com/u/CharacterNorth6081/s/k3mFE9aGqh
- Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/parasss.__

Jonathan and Slava are back, and again they've dragged Kris and Josh into the chaos. In Part 3, Porfiry plays mind games, Raskolnikov slowly unravels, a painter randomly confesses to a murder he didn't commit, and Katerina remains everyone's least favorite character. Nobody is okay. Not the characters. Not the hosts. Not the guests. Especially not Josh.

ABOUT THE BOOK

In the bleak heat of 19th-century St. Petersburg, Rodion Raskolnikov, a brilliant but destitute former student, wanders the streets nursing a dangerous theory. He believes that "extraordinary" men are above the moral law of the masses and have the right—even the duty—to commit crimes for the greater good.

To prove his superiority, Raskolnikov executes a cold-blooded plan to murder an unscrupulous old pawnbroker. The "perfect crime" quickly spirals into a psychological nightmare. Haunted by guilt, paranoia, and the mind games of investigator Porfiry Petrovich, Raskolnikov begins to crumble.

His only hope for redemption lies in Sonya Marmeladov, a young woman forced into hardship who maintains a self-sacrificing faith. As the walls close in, Raskolnikov must choose between a life of mental imprisonment or the path toward spiritual rebirth and confession.

ABOUT THE SIDE QUEST BOOK CLUB PODCAST
Reading is the ultimate side quest. Side Quest is a casual book club podcast full of literary adventures. Join Slava and Jonathan as they discuss the books they are reading, life, history, belief systems, and more. Explore world-building, characters, and story development, and share some laughs along the way.

New episodes drop every TUES.

LISTEN TO THE AUDIO VERSION
This is a video version of our audio podcast. Want to listen on the go?
Find *Side Quest Book Club* on your favorite podcast app.

🎧 **Subscribe on Any Platform https://linktr.ee/asidequest

JOIN THE GUILD
🌐 Official Website / Quest Log:
https://www.thesidequestpodcast.com/

💬 Follow Our Adventures on Social Media:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thesidequestpodcast
TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@sidequestpodcast

CREDITS
Hosts: Slava and Jonathan
Podcast Hosting & Distribution by Transistor.fm https://transistor.fm/how-to-start-a-podcast/?via=slava
Intro/Outro Music: HoliznaCC0v
Editing by: CharacterNorth6081
- Reddit - https://www.reddit.com/u/CharacterNorth6081/s/k3mFE9aGqh
- Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/parasss.__