1. The role of the friendship among the women is an important theme of A REMARKABLE KINDNESS. How did the women’s friendship change over time? How did their friendship sustain them?

 

2. Aviva, Emily, Rachel and Lauren are all part of a special circle that gives them emotional support. Do you have a “circle” of friends or a group that gives your life special meaning?

 

3. Some of the characters in the novel leave America to escape the expected and familiar. Do you see this as an American story? And if not, why not? Why do you think each of the characters react differently to living in Israel?

 

4. America was founded by people who came to its shores. When we leave it, which part of our national identity comes with us? Which part of our personal identity do we leave behind? And, if you were to move to another country, where would you go and why?

 

5. Lauren feels like the life she’s living isn’t the one she’s supposed to have. She’s moved to Israel for the strongest reasons, love and family, but can’t shake the part of her that longs for home, in Boston. What do you think drives what Emily calls Lauren’s “romance for a city”? How does being in Israel transform Lauren?

 

6. Emily takes chances, like impulsively moving across the world to join Lauren. She makes choices that seem risky, but doesn’t obsess over her mistakes. How does her sense of fate reflect her choices? Do you relate to her motivations and actions, or are you more of a thinker and a planner?

 

7. Rachel moved to Israel with the desire to change things and help work for peace. She tries different sorts of work, meeting people who challenge her on many levels, but sometimes feels that she might be “chasing exhilarating experiences that were all wrong.” Do you think she finds what she’s looking for?

 

8. Aviva endures the loss of a child and a husband, with no choice but to keep living: One night she “curled up on her side, wanting to squish the grief right out of her,” but forced by Rachel to leave the house, is reminded “that the universe is still there and hadn’t entirely abandoned her.” How does she learn to heal from her sorrows? Have you or someone you know experienced grief like this?

 

9. Do you believe that life a series of accidental turns, as Lauren does? Or that things happen for a reason, as Emily supposes? Do the events in the book prove either idea?

 

10. For the women of the burial circle, the ritual makes them appreciate their lives with fresh eyes. Do you have similar routines or reminders in your life to inspire you to live in the moment?

 

11. The novel has a strong message about the circle of life, and its inevitable end --- not only the death of those we love, but our own. What kind of ritual would you like for yourself after you’ve gone --- or none at all? Which clothes do you want to be buried in? Do you want to be buried at all? Would you like someone to recite a special prayer for you? A song? A poem?

 

12. In the neighborhood of the novel, in contrast to the war going on in the larger setting, a wide variety of people form deep and abiding relationships. Do you have friends with different beliefs and customs than yours? How does your own community compare?

A Remarkable Kindness
by Diana Bletter

• Publication Date: August 11, 2015
• Genres: Fiction, Women's Fiction
• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks
• ISBN-10: 0062382446
• ISBN-13: 9780062382443