One of the inspirations for the novel was the author seeing two kids meet and become friends on vacation. Have you ever connected with someone on vacation, or outside your everyday life, as friends or romantic partners? How do you think that experience went differently than it would have had it originated amid your everyday life?
A theme in the novel is the trauma of “postmemory,” that is, how later generations bear the personal, collective, and cultural trauma of those generations who came before. How does this theme play out in the novel? How are both Bea and Joey affected by what Sarah and Sam endured?
Even years after the fact, Joey struggles to find closure to her relationship with Leo. Was it selfish for her to agree to meet with Leo eleven days before her wedding? How have you experienced closure in a relationship? Did the time it took or way it happened surprise you?
Why do you think Joey switched from art to law after Leo broke up with her? Have you ever given up on a passion? What would it take for you to revisit it?
Sarah must live her entire life with regrets that were impossible to make right. Why was it easier for Sarah to marry a man she didn’t love than the man she did? Do you think that even after communicating with Milos, she will ever fully forgive herself?
Many characters in the novel are holding on to secrets they eventually reveal. Are secrets in a relationship ever justified?
Bea is in many ways an unlikable character. On page 162, she says, “Maybe sometimes you have to risk hurting people you love in order to be happy.” Do you agree with her? In what circumstances would you find the statement valid? How does your view of Bea change as the book progresses? Do you think that Joey ultimately finds more compassion for her mother after she leaves Grant for Leo?
On page 43, Joey says that with Leo love felt like falling, but with Grant she learned to love on solid ground. Do you think that love can be divided into these two categories? Which have you experienced in your life? Do you think it is possible for Joey to love on solid ground with Leo too?
Neither Bea nor Joey was born on Corfu, but nonetheless the island becomes a central facet of their lives. How does the way each of Joey, Bea, and Sarah feels about Corfu change with the events of their lives and the events of the novel? Do you think that any or all of the women would choose to return to Corfu for a visit after the events of the novel? Have you ever considered a place not your birthplace or home as nonetheless important in your life? Perhaps it is a vacation spot or a place where a family member lives or lived. How did that place become important to you? Have your feelings toward that place changed with time or events?
Family history plays a critical role in the plot. How is Joey affected by her mother’s and grandmother’s paths? Do you know your family history? How does it affect your life? Does it cause you to try to follow your ancestors’ lead or take a different path?
The concept of forgiveness percolates throughout the novel. Do Bea and Scott deserve Joey’s forgiveness? Do you think she has truly forgiven them? Does Bea deserve Sarah’s forgiveness for not passing along the message from Milos? Do you think Sarah has truly forgiven her daughter? Is it easier for a parent to forgive a child or for a child to forgive a parent? Why?
Were you glad Joey chose Leo? Do you think Grant would have been the better choice? Why or why not?