Many thanks to Tri-Community Readers from Moncton, New Brunswick for sharing their book club discussions questions with me.
- Does the title of the book seem relevant to the content?
- Do you think the impact of Sammy’s death on Carter and Emma’s marriage was an accurate illustration of what many parents endure after the death of a child?
- Do you think the relationship Emma had built with Luke was a lasting one had the event with Louise not happened?
- The author wrote this book using first person narrative with the chapter heading indicating who was speaking. Did you like this or find it confusing?
- How do you picture Luke? His relationships with Beverly and later with Emma began in a pub. (Since COVID, if you are out of school and working from home or in a hybrid environment it has become difficult to meet a prospective spouse. Do you think pubs are one of the few places? Where are other places you might meet someone today?)
- What are your thoughts on Carter’s dream? Or was it a dream?
- When Emma chose to lie about meeting Carter after work it was a “small” lie and she came clean within a very short time, but it began the change in Luke and Emma’s relationship. Do you think the lack of trust is often the beginning of the end for a relationship?
- What is your thought on Bev’s decision to keep her pregnancy a secret from Luke? Was it selfish/safe/wrong?
- Would your perception of this book differ if you were reading it as a believer in Jesus, Heaven and Eternity vs being an unbeliever? If a believer in Jesus and Heaven and Eternity, was your overall feeling of this book positive or negative? Give reason? If an unbeliever, would this incident with Louise cause you to search out answers about heaven and its existence, or go to a physic as Carter did?
- Do you think the author described parenthood well when she wrote: “Louise: I love the whole wide world! I felt another rush of euphoria, and started to wonder if I was being touched by something miraculous here, or if this was just what regular parenthood was like. Because this child had some sort of power over me. It was as if whenever I was in her presence, she waved a magic wand and drenched me with happiness. Or inconceivable agony—like at the airport when I left. I resigned myself to the fact that parenthood must be a state of emotional extremes. There was nothing lackluster about it. Everything was vivid and amazing.”
- Do you think the airplane crash part of the story served a purpose? Were there any parts of the story you felt overdone/underdone?
- Julianne MacLean says she always finds the last scene of any novel the most difficult to write because she puts a lot of pressure on herself to make sure she delivers a satisfying conclusion and that the last paragraph is the hardest of all. Do you think she accomplished her goal of a satisfying conclusion in this book?
- Will you read other books in this series or others by this author?