BooksBarbecue
Back A Million Things
Chapters (42)
  1. Cover
  2. Praise for
  3. Dedication
  4. THE FIRST DAYS
  5. DAY 14
  6. DAY 15
  7. DAY 21
  8. DAY 22
  9. DAY 23
  10. DAY 28
  11. DAY 29
  12. DAY 30
  13. DAY 31
  14. DAY 32
  15. DAY 33
  16. DAY 34
  17. DAY 35
  18. DAY 36
  19. DAY 37
  20. DAY 38
  21. DAY 39
  22. DAY 40
  23. DAY 41
  24. DAY 42
  25. DAY 43
  26. DAY 44
  27. DAY 45
  28. DAY 46
  29. DAY 47
  30. DAY 48
  31. DAY 49
  32. DAY 51
  33. DAY 53
  34. DAY 54
  35. DAY 55
  36. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  37. Readers Guide
  38. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
  39. BEHIND THE BOOK
  40. READING LIST
  41. About the Author
  42. What’s next onyour reading list?
  1. How do you see the relationship between Splinter and Rae? Is he her protector? An extension of her? Her dependent (someone who needs her and keeps her going)? Or something else?
  2. The character of Rae’s mother, though central to the book, is never seen directly by the reader; we see her only through Rae’s memories and thoughts. What sort of picture of Rae’s mother do you, as the reader, form from this perspective?
  3. Why do you think the author might have chosen to show you Rae’s mother in this way?
  4. The theme of home is strong in this novel. How do each of the characters Rae, Lettie and Oscar differ or coincide in their experiences of, and relationship to, home?
  5. Consider what is unsaid in Rae’s narration. Do you think there are insights to be gained into Rae’s character and thoughts by what she does not say or address? If so, what do you think the reader can learn from the things Rae leaves unsaid?
  6. Rae has a strong reaction to Lettie’s relationship with her son, Chris. What parallels do you think Rae might be drawing between Lettie’s relationship boundaries with Chris and Rae’s relationship with her own mother?
  7. What do you think about Rae’s reaction when she first sees Lettie’s cleaned house? What do you think is behind Rae’s response?
  8. Briar Rose/Sleeping Beauty and the overgrown garden are reoccurring motifs in the novel. How do you feel these ideas tie in with Rae’s situation and the extended in-between, or transitional, space in which she finds herself?
  9. A Million Things deals with deep loss, grief and mental illness. Do you believe these topics are presented in a realistic way? How did you react to these themes?
  10. What was your interpretation of the overall tone of the book? Was it sad? Hopeful? Or something else?
  11. What are your thoughts about Lettie’s future? Do you feel the implication at the end of the novel is that things will be better for her? Or is it that her life will go back to the way it was? Which one of these outcomes do you think is more likely, based on your reading of the book?

BEHIND THE BOOK

The idea for this novel grew from a what-if, as most stories do. It is a personal what-if, and I have wrestled with how much of it to share. That said, I believe openness and transparency are wonderful things, and I can’t be truly open and transparent about the genesis of this story without revealing something of my own past. So, a little about me: in my teens and for a large part of my twenties I suffered with mental illness and the associated dark depression and anxiety. I’m well now and have been for many years, but I still occasionally have nightmares about being back in that headspace.