Go as a River Reading Guide & Discussion Questions

Book Club Discussion Questions

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For supplemental discussion material see our Beyond the Book article, A Brief History of the Peach and our BookBrowse Review of Go as a River.

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

1. Shelley Read based Go as a River on an historical event—the destruction of the town of Iola, Colorado, which now lies at the bottom of Blue Mesa Reservoir. Discuss the way the idea of "home" is treated in the novel. What makes a home? Is one's childhood home ever somewhere to which one can truly return? Victoria states, "The landscapes of our youths create us, and we carry them within us, storied by all they gave and stole, in who we become." Is this true for you? Where and how does Victoria find another "home"?
2. Wil and Victoria's relationship is a case of star-crossed lovers from different backgrounds and cultures. We know very little about Wil's life before he arrived in Iola. Do you feel the novel should have revealed more about Wil and where he came from? Why do you think the author held back? Can you imagine a future in which Victoria and Wil might have been able to stay together? Why or why not?
3. When Victoria and Wil meet, Victoria has spent all of her life in one place, whereas Wil is a drifter. How does this contribute to who each of them is?

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