Book Group Guide

  1. After the shocking deaths of two teenage boys tear apart a community, a mysterious pregnant girl enters the lives of those same boys’ families. Why the boys died and what their tragedy has to do with this girl are the propulsive mysteries at the center of JoAnne Tompkins’s story. But perhaps just as important is the question of how the families will move forward. What comes after grief? At a time when many Americans are recovering from a long, difficult period, did this book give you any insight into this question?

  2. Similarly, what lessons did you take from the novel about the meaning of family and perseverance in the face of misfortune?  About forgiveness?

  3. Isaac struggles with conflicted and confused feelings about who his son really was, and what he should do with these thoughts and feelings now that Daniel is gone. Do you think Isaac comes to see Daniel more clearly, and if so, what accounts for the change? Does he understand Jonah better, or less well, than his son? Do you think parents have a moral responsibility for a child’s actions?

  4. When Evangeline appears on Isaac’s doorstep it changes both of their lives forever. Why do you think Isaac takes her in at first? And why does he continue to keep her with him? How does their relationship grow and change over time? What frustrations and realizations do they have about each other? How does Evangeline’s relationship with Isaac compare to her dynamic with Lorrie, the grieving mother next door? 

  5. What role do you think Isaac’s Quaker faith plays in his emotional arc and forgiveness? Consider not just his memories of Daniel and Jonah, but also his relationships with Peter and Lorrie and Evangeline. Did Jonah’s or Daniel’s experience with Quakerism influence their arcs at all? 

  6. The book offers multiple examples of “friendship”: Daniel and Jonah; Isaac and Peter; Isaac and Lorrie. Consider what it means to be a “friend,” (Quaker or otherwise) and how these relationships define these characters and their senses of themselves. 

  7. For a non-speaking character, Isaac’s pit-bull Rufus plays an important part in the story. Consider Rufus’s role in Daniel’s childhood and adolescence, and with Evangeline. What did Rufus symbolize for you?  How does the author use him to explore themes of empathy, violence, grief, love?

  8. In the “Day of My Death” sections, we hear from Jonah as he describes the events that led up to his death. Why do you think the author chose to present Jonah to us in this way and not Daniel? After hearing from Jonah, what more do you understand about his motivations and his behavior?

  9. What does the novel have to say about trust? Consider how ideas about trust play out between Daniel and Jonah, between Evangeline and Isaac, and between Isaac and Peter. What is the link between trust and love? Between trust and courage?  

  10. One of the epigraphs of What Comes After is the Thomas Merton quote, “We are already one. But we imagine that we are not.” Did your understanding of this powerful quote change over the course of the book? How do you read the ending of the novel in light it?