How has grief changed the lives of the main characters in this novel?
How does setting affect these characters, and reflect them?
Did Noah make the right decision to go help his father and leave Natalie?
Noah is interested in ski jumping and in old maps. How do these metaphors shape the story?
Why do you think Olaf turned to Noah for help instead of turning to Solveig? Were his reasons deeper than the obvious?
How are these characters now safe from the sea?
Olaf presents his son with a special request. Do you think it was too much to ask? Were you surprised with how things played out?
Is this book about fathers and fatherhood? Or is it more a book about family?
Alyson Hagy, in praising the novel, said it was “All shipwreck and rescue.” Do you agree? If so, how?
Some would argue this is a novel of redemption. Discuss.
Noah is ambivalent about his own possible fatherhood, given his childhood. But he recognizes the meaning a child would bring to Natalie's life. How do his wife's fertility problems and efforts complicate his emotions? In what ways does reconciliation with his father deepen his relationship with his wife and allow him to consider a fatherhood determined by who he is as a man and not who he was as a child?