Hello beloved book clubs! I’m thrilled your book club has chosen HEARTWOOD . To be honest, my aim when writing a novel is to write one that readers would enjoy discussing together. (Some books are incredibly entertaining, but they don’t inspire much discussion or debate.) I hope your discussion of HEARTWOOD is lively, intimate, and far-ranging. In the context of a book club, even disagreement is fun. We all have strong personal reactions to characters, which are based on lived experience and our own deep convictions. I think we read to uncover how we feel and what we believe.
From my heart to yours,
Amity
There is a book club reading guide on the Simon & Schuster page for Heartwood. I copy and paste the questions below for your convenience. I wrote about my inspirations for writing HEARTWOOD in a blog on the Barnes & Noble website. This is a really fun interview with Lauren Daley of Boston.com. It’s free, no paywall. If you’re looking for a smart review, this one in the Minnesota Star Tribune pointed out things in the book I wasn’t even aware of! (Duh.)
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
Each of the three main characters in Heartwood find solace in nature. Lena loves bird watching and foraging. For Valerie, long-distance hiking makes her feel “whole.” Bev thinks of the backcountry as her “mother.” When was the last time you really felt connected to nature?
Talk about how you felt as Valerie described her lostness. What do you think you would feel or do if you became lost in the outdoors?
Valerie writes letters to her mother while she is lost in the woods. Who would you write to and what would you want them to know?
What do you think about the novel’s connection between lostness and being motherless?
For many readers, Santo is a surprising favorite character. What did you think about his role in the investigation and his friendships with Valerie and Cody the warden?
Heartwood is as much about being lost as it is about being found. What times in your life have you been “lost” emotionally, spiritually, or psychologically, and who rescued you?
HEARTWOOD was written during the pandemic. The character of Lena was partially inspired by how difficult quarantine was for older people. Did reading HEARTWOOD remind you of that difficult time? And was there anything you turned to, like reading, internet-sleuthing or hiking, that helped you get through it?
Though there are true stories of people going missing while hiking, there is also a vibrant and supportive trail community. The book is in many ways a celebration of the American wilderness. Did reading Heartwood make you want to hike the Appalachian Trail? Or not?