Book Summary and Reviews of All the Tomorrows After by Joanne Yi

Book Summary

A captivating, heartrending novel about a Korean American teen navigating grief and first love who agrees to accept money from her estranged father in exchange for letting him get to know her—for fans of Nina LaCour, Kathleen Glasgow, and All My Rage.

Each night, Winter Moon counts her earnings dreaming of escape. Once she's saved enough, she and her grandmother can finally take flight and disappear. But when her spiteful mother steals her money and blows through it all in one day, Winter is forced to turn to her estranged father, who recently reappeared in her life after being absent for more than a decade. They agree upon a simple contract: she spends time with him in exchange for payment.

It's not easy reconciling the past and the present, though, and when she's struck with a sudden loss, Winter flounders in grief and rage. The only person offering a hand is Joon, the new boy at school who sees Winter when no one else does.

When Winter discovers a secret her father has been keeping from her, things get even more complicated. As she navigates grief, first love, and forgiveness, Winter begins to forge connections, new and old, that make her question everything: her future, her conviction to disappear, and what it really means to be family. Winter knows that broken things can never be fixed, but can they come back together in a different way?

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

1. Sung wants to spend time with Winter, the daughter he abandoned as a child, but Winter only agrees to meet him if she is paid for that time. What are the outcomes, both good and bad, that could result from this arrangement? What would you have done in Winter's position?
2. Describe Halmoni. What is her personality like, and how does she manifest her love and care for Winter? Why is Halmoni such an important figure in Winter's life?
3. Winter holds on to three postcards from her father, Sung, each featuring a different landmark in Paris, Rome, and Kyoto. What do these postcards symbolize for her, and how do her father's travels influence Winter's dreams for herself? Do you ever imagine yourself in another place? Where and why? ...