In All Deep Places (26 page)

1.
Who (or what) do you think the woman in the green dress represents, if anyone or anything? (There are no wrong answers here—only personal interpretations!)

2.
Luke found himself “stuck” in his manuscript before his father’s stroke, before returning to Halcyon. Why do you think he came up against writer’s block?

3.
On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being the least, how much are Norah and Téa are alike? How did you arrive at your answer?

4.
Luke’s return to Halcyon is unsettling for him in many ways. Have you ever returned to your hometown after years of being away? What was your experience?

5.
How much sympathy do you have for Nell? Or for Darrel? Have you met people like these two? Why, in your opinion, do some people end up living such unfulfilled lives?

6.
The tree house becomes a refuge for Luke, and later for Norah, too. Discuss the placement of the tree house between the two houses. What is its significance to the story? Discuss its survival throughout the years.

7.
Describe your first impression of Norah when you meet her at the age of six. Does your impression change as she grows up within the story?

8.
Why did Kieran invent an imaginary playmate? Do you think Luke and Norah handled this situation appropriately? What would you have done differently?

9.
What role does Goose Pond play in the story? Is there significance in Norah’s attempting to touch the bottom and being unable to?

10.
Re-read Norah’s poem about the whales. What does Norah reveal about herself in the verses? Are there hidden things there that the reader can pick up but Norah herself is unaware of?

11.
At which ages do you identify with Luke and Norah the most (or enjoy them the most)? 8 and 6? 12 and 10? 15 and 13? Or 17 and 15?

12.
Describe your feelings about Norah’s response when Luke finds her in Colorado. Luke admits to her he made a horrible mistake. Do you agree? What should he have done differently? Would it have changed anything?

13.
Do you think Norah will agree to come to Luke and Téa’s house for Thanksgiving? Where do you see Luke and Norah ten years after the story ends? What will their relationship look like?

Susan Meissner
is the multi-published author of
The Shape of Mercy,
named one of the 100 Best Books in 2008 by Publishers Weekly and the ECPA’s Fiction Book of the Year. She is also a speaker and writing workshop leader with a background in community journalism, and is the leader/moderator of a local writer’s group, a pastor’s wife and the mother of four young adults.

When she’s not writing, Susan directs the Small Groups and Connection Ministries program at The Church at Rancho Bernardo in San Diego. She also enjoys teaching workshops on writing and dream-following, as well as spending time with her family, listening to or making music, reading great books, and traveling.

Susan says, “I write fiction for the restless reader. I love the power of story to plumb the depths of who we are and Whose we are.”

Visit Susan’s webpage at:
www.susanmeissner.com

Blue Heart Blessed

The Remedy for Regret

A Seahorse in the Thames

The Shape of Mercy

Lady in Waiting

White Picket Fences

In all Deep Places

Copyright © 2006, 2012 by Susan Meissner. All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Greenbrier Book Company

P.O. Box 12721

New Bern, NC 28561

Visit our Web site at
www.greenbrierbooks.com

First eBook Edition: April 2012

The characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

Most Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. All other Scripture quotations are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973,1978,1984 by the International Bible Society. All rights reserved.

Kindle eBook eISBN: 978-1-937573-56-0

ePub eBook eISBN: 978-1-937573-57-7

Apple iBook eISBN: 978-1-937573-58-4

Cover design by Anton Khodakovsky