Neverhome Reading Guide & Discussion Questions

Book Club Discussion Questions

Print PDF

For supplemental discussion material see our Beyond the Book article, Women In the U.S. Civil War and our BookBrowse Review of Neverhome.

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

1. From the opening sentence, we know that the narrator chooses to fight in the Civil War instead of her husband. By the end of the novel, we recognize there may be several different reasons for her choice. What was her greatest motivation for leaving? What do you believe Ash herself believes about her choice?
2. Discuss the role of men in Ash's life, both before and during the War.
3. Why do you believe the Colonel takes such a particular interest in Ash? Discuss the squirrel-hunting, the battle midway through the novel with the Colonel's kinsman, and the visit in the psychiatric hospital, in particular.

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