1. Both Grace and Anna raised their daughters essentially alone. What are the similarities and distinctions between the ways they experienced motherhood, and love?

2. In what way do Anna's artistic sensibilities complement David Mortimer's scientific ones? What was the basis for their initial attraction?

3. Discuss the ways in which botany makes for a rich backdrop in the novel, and in Anna's paintings. Why was this an appropriate choice on the part of Elizabeth McGregor when she was crafting David's character?

4. The concept of art as commodity drives much of the novel's tension. Does James Garrett also see love as a commodity? What is his motivation in seeking power over Anna?

5. What parallels did you find between the story of Ernest Wilson's experiences in China and David's journey to America? What other forms of destinations and journeying are portrayed in the novel?

6. Discuss the landscape of Anna's comatose world. Is its scenery completely foreign to her? What elements of familiarity and imagination does it contain?

7. What does the absence of Grace at the novel's conclusion indicate about the role of fate versus willpower in the lives of these characters?

8. How does the author's rendering of Oxford compare to that of Cape Cod and Boston? How does each locale suit the events taking place there? What cultural comparisons can be made between the novel's American and English elements?

9. Why was Anna unable to stay in England? Do you attribute her departure to her pregnancy, or the fear that David would become like his father, or were there other unspoken factors in her decision? What drove David to leave his family?

10. Who appears to have had more power in the relationship between Anna and David? How did they change during the decade of their estrangement?

11. What does the novel convey about the physical world versus the one inhabited by the mind and soul? In what way does the portrayal of Rachel as a child living with Asperger's syndrome reinforce these observations? Does Rachel's struggle mirror her mother's in any way?

12. Sara is an integral part of the novel's concluding scenes. What was her role in guiding David?

13. Early in the novel, James Garrett's early years are depicted. Was his upbringing very different from Anna's? In what ways was he transformed by meeting Catherine Graham? Does knowing about his life before Anna affect your opinion of him?

14. What are James' reasons for wanting to gain custody of Rachel? Does he have any capacity for loving her, or Anna?

15. What comparisons can be made between Anna's art and the abstract work that launched James' career (in particular the Mark Rothko painting he acquired from Catherine)?

16. To what or whom do you attribute Anna's recovery?

17. Describe the metaphoric mountains you have faced. How did you find your way through them? Who was your primary guide?