Was there a character you resonated with more than the others? A character you didn’t understand? A character who reminded you of someone from your own life?
Maya stole things from the places she lived as a way to remember what didn’t belong to her, as she hoped for a life that actually was hers. Did you understand her desire to have something of her own to hang on to? Why did she so quickly know she needed to return the shell box to Violet?
When Maya left her last foster home, she drove south and looked for a sign pointing her in some direction. Her grandmother Maria had frequently talked about signs and had taught Maya to look and wait for them. What do you think about signs? Have you ever experienced some sort of sign showing you the way to go?
Neither Trudy, Violet, nor Maya had a mother who stayed. Discuss the impact of Trudy and Violet on Maya’s life and why the two sisters felt so strongly about helping Maya. Why do you think Maya felt so drawn to the sisters?
One of the ways people may deal with a difficult situation is to avoid talking about it. After the night on the dock, the sisters didn’t talk much about Jay. Do you think their intention was to pretend all was just fine? How might their lives have been different (or better or worse) if they’d been willing to talk about Jay all those years ago?
Violet gave up her chance at love and her wished-for life in ornithology to stay close to home and watch over Trudy. That’s a huge sacrifice for a sister—or anyone—to make. Do you know anyone who has made a similar choice?
As the story tells us, “Trudy and Violet both navigated life the best way they knew how—for Trudy it was working with her materials and setting the pieces just right, while for Violet it was through the birds, savoring their ease of flight, identifying their needs, helping them on their way.” Do you have something that serves as a way to navigate through your life? Or a way to relieve stress or anxiety?
After the night on the dock, Violet said she would never not worry that Frank would learn the truth about what had happened and that his sense of responsibility and duty to his job would outweigh his love and devotion to her. Did you understand Violet’s decision to leave Frank after what happened on the dock?
Toward the end of the story, Trudy admits to Violet that she knew her silence and pain after Jay’s death kept Violet from living her own life and caused her to miss out on so much. She tells Violet she’s free now. Has there been anything in your own life that has caused you to put your life on hold? If you found freedom from it, what form did that freedom take?
If the book were made into a movie, who should the cast be?