Book Club Discussion Questions and Guide for The Last Dreamwalker by Rita Woods

1. After her mother's unexpected death, Layla learns that her mother Elinor has been withholding generational and historical secrets. How did you feel about Elinor's decision to leave the past behind and start a new life?
2. Family legacy is a core theme of the novel. How did you respond to Layla's unexpected inheritance? What would you have done in her situation?
3. The gift of dreamwalking is passed down to women in the family; the third daughter of a third daughter, until it transforms and is passed down to the sole daughter, as in the case of Layla. What do you believe is the significance of women holding this distinct power? How would you use this gift, if you inherited it?
4. How were you affected by the novel's alternating timeline, with chapters told from the point-of-view of Layla as well as her Gullah ancestor Gemma? What are the similarities and differences between the two women?
5. The Aunts, Jayne and Therese, become mother figures to Layla. What do you see as their role in The Last Dreamwalker?
6. What was your first impression of Layla's estranged cousin Charlotte? How did your reaction to Charlotte change over the course of the novel?
7. Layla's relationship with her two older brothers strengthens as family secrets unfold. How did their close knit relationship affect you? What was you reaction to Layla's evolving friendship with Viktor?
8. Place plays an important role in The Last Dreamwalker. We come to find out that the inheritance is connected to the land, and Charlotte is extremely protective of her sense of place. "Charlotte defends Scotia and Scotia defends her…" as Aunt Therese explains on p. 212. Have you ever felt a strong connection to a place? How so?
9. Gemma's daughter Lavender plays a key role in determining the family's fate, and securing their land into perpetuity. How do you imagine Lavender felt at that moment? Brave? Proud? Scared? Nervous?
10. At the end of the novel, Layla ends up caring for her cousin Charlotte, despite ongoing tensions between the two of them. What did you make of that decision? Would you have done the same? Have you ever cared for a relative in your own personal life? How did it impact you?
11. The Aunts mention that Layla is the last dreamwalker. Why do you think that is? Discuss the themes that are woven into the novel's title, The Last Dreamwalker.
12. Charlotte alternates between speaking English and Gullah. What did you learn about the Gullah people and their culture as you were reading the novel? How have they maintained their traditions?

Unless otherwise stated, this discussion guide is reprinted with the permission of Forge Books. Any page references refer to a USA edition of the book, usually the trade paperback version, and may vary in other editions.