Book Club Discussion Questions and Guide for Notes on Infinity by Austin Taylor

1. Discuss the main characters. How did you relate to Zoe or Jack? In what ways were they each set up for success? Or for failure?
2. How did Zoe's relationship with her family affect her path in life?
3. At what point should Jack have told Zoe that the experiments weren't going as well as they had hoped?
4. Discuss the motivations behind Jack's lies and secrets. Do you think any of his deception was justified? What emotions were behind his decisions?
5. What responsibilities did Carter have to Zoe as a partner in the company? Would it have made a difference if he had told her about the bad data? Would she have been receptive? Could the company have course-corrected?
6. Once Zoe found out about Jack's secret, she had a big decision to make. Discuss the complexities of her choice. What would you have done? Did she do the right thing?
7. Was Zoe's gender important to her trajectory? Discuss the themes that come up around women in STEM, women at Harvard, women in the tech start-up space, and how women entrepreneurs are depicted or criticized in the media.
8. Were the Manna whistleblowers fair in their public criticism, or were they just trying to have their own moment in the spotlight?
9. Have you seen stories in the news where entrepreneurs are idolized? Where they've fallen from grace? How does Notes on Infinity differ from the stories you've heard?
10. Did Jack's past come as a surprise? And does that past excuse his actions in the present? Does Jack deserve Zoe's sympathy and love, even after his deception?
11. Why do you think the author chose to tell a section of the book from Jack's point of view?
12. As you got closer to the end of the novel, how did you think it would conclude? Were you surprised by the ending?
13. Do you think we'll ever get to a point where science can help us live for hundreds of years? What are the repercussions of inventing a drug that could extend human life, or even help people live forever? How do you think this would change the nature of humanity? If given the opportunity, would you want to take it?
14. Where do you see Zoe ten years after the events of the book?

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