Book Club Discussion Questions
Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!
Introduction
From award-winning author Thomas Moran comes the breathtaking story of a
young woman's betrayal, a haunting portrait of the extraordinary beauty and
inexorable violence of a divided Ireland.
Thomas Moran made his impressive literary debut only three years ago with
The
Man in the Box, winner of the Book-of-the-Month Club's Stephen Crane Award
for First Fiction. The New Yorker compared
The Man in the Box to the
diary of Anne Frank, and the Los Angeles Times compared Thomas Moran to Elie
Wiesel. On the heels of this success came what Booklist predicted would be
"for many. . .the best book of the year."
The World I Made for Her
confirmed the depth and breadth of Moran's talent. "Now, to A Farewell to
Arms and The English Patient," Time magazine harkened, "add another
memorable star-crossed Red Cross romance."
And now, in what will surely be his most acclaimed novel yet, Tom Moran's
spare, piercing language effortlessly carries us to the harbor towns of southern
Ireland. Una Moss is a bright, young medical student struggling for independence
from the world of her family's secret loyalties. Aidan Ferrel is the man who
wins her love, the stranger she chooses to trust.
Water Carry Me is the
story of a singular love pitted against the power of political passion—the
chronicle of a young woman's journey from innocence to betrayal, across the
vivid brightness and darkness that is the heartbreaking landscape of her beloved
Ireland.
Discussion Questions
- Una was told as a child that her parents died in a car accident. Over the
years, she learned the truth: that they were killed by IRA terrorists. How
do the ways in which Una's friends and her grandfather speak about her
parents' involvement in the violence in Northern Ireland offer insight into
the way many Irish people feel about The Troubles?
- The violence in Northern Ireland affects the lives of Moran's characters
in the "sunny south," both directly and indirectly. How impervious
are Una and her friends to the violence, on an emotional level and on a
practical level?
📖
Get the full reading guide
Join BookBrowse free to unlock all 7 discussion questions, author background, themes, and more for Water, Carry Me.
Join free — it takes 30 seconds
Already a member? Log in →
- How does the author develop themes of identity and belonging throughout the narrative?
- What role does the setting play in shaping the characters' decisions and relationships?
- Discuss how the ending reframes the events of the story. Were you surprised?
Unless otherwise stated, this discussion guide is reprinted with the permission of Riverhead Books.
Any page references refer to a USA edition of the book, usually the trade paperback version, and may vary in other editions.
