The Green Age of Asher Witherow Reading Guide & Discussion Questions

Book Club Discussion Questions

Print PDF

For supplemental discussion material see our Beyond the Book article, and our BookBrowse Review of The Green Age of Asher Witherow.

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

1. Setting is so central to The Green Age of Asher Witherow that it almost becomes a character. Why is the natural landscape of the Diablo Valley so important, especially to the younger characters in the novel?
   


2. Several myths, legends and systems of belief are mentioned in the novel. There is the traditional Protestant Christianity of Reverend Parry and the Nortonville residents; there is Josiah Lyte's own unique version of Christianity; there is the Hinduism that influences him during his childhood in India; there are the Native American legends of Indian tribes that first named the mountain and the Celtic myths and stories of Asher's Welsh ancestors. Do these "underpinnings" make the events of the story clearer or more puzzling to you?
   


3. Sarah Norton is a disturbing character in the novel. As a midwife (and, in Anna's case, an abortionist), she is suspected by some people in Nortonville of being a witch. She lives alone, apart from her husband, and her solitary activities include gathering Indian artifacts and planting a new cottonwood tree for each child she delivers. Why do you think the author "drew" her this way?
   

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