Discussion Questions
1. Each of the three main characters in the novel has to find a way to let go of what they have
lost and move on with their lives. How does each of them face this reality? How do people find
the strength and resilience to overcome a life interrupted?
2. The novel is told from three first person voices. How do the changes in perspective influence your relationship to each of the characters? Which voice do you fine the most relatable? Sympathetic?
3. Water, sea and rain have a large presence in the narrative. How does setting the majority of the novel in Seattle provide a mood and a backdrop for the story?
4. What role does Mary Ellen play in the lives of her three children? Can you justify the choices she made in her life? Can you respect her fierce independence inspite of it’s effect on her children?
5. If it hadn’t been for the upheaval the financial crisis caused in Peter’s life, would he have made the decisions he made? Is his letting go of success what motivates his decisions or is it a genuine desire to help Florence?
6. There are several themes in the novel? Which ones were most interesting to you? How were the themes woven together?
7. Florence is the catalyst for the action of the story but who, if anyone, is the central character? Who or what drives the plot?
8. Which character did you like and identify with the most? least? How are they each flawed? These are adult siblings with very complicated dynamics. Did they give you any insights into the dynamics of adult siblings in your own family?
2. The novel is told from three first person voices. How do the changes in perspective influence your relationship to each of the characters? Which voice do you fine the most relatable? Sympathetic?
3. Water, sea and rain have a large presence in the narrative. How does setting the majority of the novel in Seattle provide a mood and a backdrop for the story?
4. What role does Mary Ellen play in the lives of her three children? Can you justify the choices she made in her life? Can you respect her fierce independence inspite of it’s effect on her children?
5. If it hadn’t been for the upheaval the financial crisis caused in Peter’s life, would he have made the decisions he made? Is his letting go of success what motivates his decisions or is it a genuine desire to help Florence?
6. There are several themes in the novel? Which ones were most interesting to you? How were the themes woven together?
7. Florence is the catalyst for the action of the story but who, if anyone, is the central character? Who or what drives the plot?
8. Which character did you like and identify with the most? least? How are they each flawed? These are adult siblings with very complicated dynamics. Did they give you any insights into the dynamics of adult siblings in your own family?