Fly Away

In your estimation, who is the novel’s protagonist? With whom do you most sympathize? Why?

Why might the author have chosen to write the novel in multiple third-person points of view? How does this affect the conflict? Why are some scenes repeated from various characters’ perspectives?

Mothers play a prominent role throughout the novel. Choose two mothers and compare their parenting successes and mistakes. Explain the novel’s position on both: What makes a good mother? Why or how are mistakes important to make in parenting?

The bulk of the novel’s plot is set in the past. How is the past important to the novel? In what ways do characters acknowledge or run from their pasts?

What does the novel suggest about the importance of confronting the past? How does the structure of the novel facilitate this theme?

Tully’s mother Dorothy speaks of how she once “reveled in her pain” (267). What does she mean by this? In what ways do other characters revel in their own pain as well, and to what effect?

What does the title mean? In this, think about the significance of the title of the previous book—Firefly Lane—and how Fly Away may act as a metaphor.

Dorothy tells Johnny that “few people get second chances” (361). Choose a character and explain what he or she might change if allowed a second chance.

How is forgiveness an important trope in the novel? Choose specific instances from the novel to describe what forgiveness means to specific characters. Are there some transgressions too big to forgive?