Book Summary and Reviews of The Heart of It All by Christian Kiefer

Book Summary

A small, declining town in Ohio. A family bereaved by terrible loss. A searing narrative about how American lives touch each other across divides both real and imagined...

Set in failing small town in central Ohio, The Heart of It All asks how one manages, in an America of increasing unsurety, to find a sense of family and community.

Focusing on the members of three families: the Baileys, a white family who have put down deep roots in the community; the Marwats, an immigrant family that owns the town's largest employer; and the Shaws, especially young Anthony, an outsider whose very presence gently shakes the town's understanding of itself.

A gorgeous, stirring novel in the classic vein of Richard Ford, Marilynne Robinson, Richard Russo, and Kent Haruf, The Heart of It All asks the reader to consider an America both divided and bound by its differences.

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

1. Two voices in particular—Sam's and Amy's—are left out of the chorus of individual perspectives that form the narrative. How do you think their inclusion would have changed the story and its themes?
2. Tom Bailey engages in reckless and hurtful behavior. How do these actions affect our perception of him? Can his behavior be justified by his grief?
3. With the division and isolation that has impacted the town, do you see commonalities in the experiences and feelings of the characters? Do you think that loss and heartbreak can create a bridge to connection or only deeper ruptures?
4. What do you imagine to be the future for Tom and Sarah? Do they return to a state of contented marriage, or is their relationship ...