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Characters |
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Beth Frank Johnson – husband, owns farm Bobby – son, died when hit by tree Jimmy – Frank’s brother Nina – Jimmy’s wife, bartender Grace – daughter born while Frank in jail David – Frank and Jimmy’s father Gabriel Wolfe – novelist, Beth’s former boyfriend Wife -living apart Leo – son Rocket – dog, shot by Jimmy after killing two lambs
on the farm Tessa and Edward – Gabriel’s parents Eleanor Kennedy – Beth’s sister, lawyer Helen – Beth’s best friend Flora Hughes – reporter, wrote about Beth and
Gabriel’s relationship |
NOTE: Page
numbers are from the 2025 hardback edition.
1.
What
did you think after you read the first page?
Was it a good introduction? Did
it make you want to keep reading?
2.
Was
it realistic for Beth and Gabriel to think they could keep their relationship a
secret?
3.
Discuss
Beth. How did she rationalize what she
was doing with both Frank and Gabriel?
Was she just fooling herself to make herself feel better?
4.
Was
the author convincing when she was describing Beth’s feelings and how she was
drawn to and loved both Frank and Gabriel?
5.
Who
was at fault the day Bobby died?
Anyone? Everyone?
6.
When
Bobby was nine, the family invited his entire class to a party on the farm at
the end of summer. One activity that was
heavily supervised was target shooting with air rifles. One boy who did not fit in well with the
class pretended to shoot his classmates.
Why did the Johnson’s think this was an appropriate activity for
nine-year-olds? Was there anything they
could do to prevent what happened?
7.
The
details of the trial and the crime were revealed very slowly by the author. As
you were reading, what different scenarios did you think had happened?
8.
Did
you like that there were so many unanswered questions as the story developed:
who was on trial, what had happened to Bobby
9.
When
Jimmy broke into Gabriel’s Saturday evening, Beth stayed hidden with Leo. If she had confronted Jimmy, would that have
changed anything?
10.
As
you were reading, did your idea change as to what had really happened? Were you surprised to find out the answer?
11.
What
did you think of the end and the sacrifice Frank made? Why do you think he did that? The author wrote, “Saving Leo was really a
way of saving himself” (page 299). Did
this make sense to you?
12.
Frank
did not want Beth or Grace to visit him in prison, so he did not see them for
years. He wrote to Beth, “I have this
picture in my head and it’s the thing that sustains me, every single day. I imagine myself coming back to the farm one
bright, spring afternoon…That’s when I see you with Grace, for the very first
time” (page 297). Did you understand
his reasoning?
13.
Gabriel
and Leo visited Frank almost monthly.
Gabriel asked Beth’s permission to tell Leo that Bobby was his brother. The author wrote, “And everything was about
Bobby, really, when you dug deep enough” (page 299). Did
this tie the novel together for you?
How?
14.
Did
you like the organization of the novel: 1968, Before, the daily details leading
up to the shooting, The Trial and then after?
15.
Discuss
your reading experience. Did the novel
keep your interest? I was reading quickly
to find out what happened and then had to reread the last 75+ pages to be sure
I fully understood the story.
