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A Stream to Follow
When Bruce Duncan, a battlefront surgeon, returns after WWII to a small town in Pennsylvania to open a general practice, the ravages of his war aren’t over. Haunted by images of soldiers he tried to save, his own near-death experiences, and the Englishwoman he lost, Bruce has little respite before new battles grip him. His brother, a decorated fighter pilot, is imploding and rebels against attempts to help. A former friend wages a vicious campaign to stop Bruce from uncovering the dangers that could shutter a local industry where silicosis is killing the workers. And Bruce must decide between the slim prospect of reuniting with the Englishwoman who chose her family over him and an ill-fated attraction to a trail-blazing woman doctor.
Flashbacks to the horrors of Bruce's wartime experiences intrude on his life as a fledgling country doctor and show how PTSD victims often try to hide their struggles with the aftermath of trauma. Even at the mountain streams where his fly-fishing casts a meditative spell, the pain of Bruce’s losses can’t be dispelled. Yet there are signs of hope—his grit begins to pay off.
With a riveting narrative, moving from America, back to England under the siege of German rockets, and to the killing fields of Alsace, this novel plunges deep into the crucible of trauma and gives fresh vision for paths to redemption and healing. The author, Jess Wright, a renowned psychiatrist and writer, weaves an uplifting tale of valor, resilience of the human spirit, and the search for enduring love.
This discussion guide and recommended reading was shared and sponsored in partnership with Sparkpoint Press.
Book club questions for A Stream to Follow by Jess Wright
Use these discussion questions to guide your next book club meeting.
Bruce Duncan, the main character in A Stream to Follow, and his brother, Glen, experienced PTSD after horrific trauma in WWII. What did they do after the war to cope with PTSD? What made it worse? What made it better?
What do you think the author meant to convey with the title, A Stream to Follow?
How did Bruce’s relationships with the two main female characters, Amelia and Sarah, influence his PTSD? How can human relationships impact PTSD?
Amelia and Sarah were ahead of their time in many ways. They were accomplished women who wanted to make their mark. What constraints did they encounter that have changed in the years since WWII? What hasn’t changed? Discuss the decisions that Amelia and Sarah made about their careers and families.
Viktor Frankl, a concentration camp survivor, talks about the need to find a sense of purpose in life in his influential book, Man’s Search for Meaning. In A Stream to Follow, Bruce, Amelia, and Sarah are trying to put meaningful life choices into action. Discuss how their sense of purpose defines their characters.
The post-war battles that Bruce encountered centered on helping workers at a silica plant. This industry was a mainstay of the local economy, yet its workers were being harmed. What moral and practical dilemmas did Bruce, the workers, and the plant manager face that still exist in our modern world?
What is the appeal of fly-fishing for Bruce and Amelia? Discuss fly-fishing or other pursuits that can promote reflection and solace.
Little was known about PTSD or how to treat it in the post-WWII era. How might Bruce and Glen have been treated for PTSD now?
Bruce’s brother, Glen, suffered from bipolar disorder. And his father may have had the same condition. Not only was mental illness not well understood in that era, it was also surrounded by stigma and secrecy. What has changed in the view of mental illness? I what ways is stigma for mental illness still a major problem?
Like Bruce and Glen, veterans of WWII often did not talk about the ravages of combat and the impact of wartime trauma on their lives. Do you think anyone you know may have suffered from trauma but spoke little or nothing about it? If so, how do you think it affected them?
A Stream to Follow Book Club Questions PDF
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a standout novel in post-WWII fiction that will grip your heart and never truly let go.
Reader’s Favorite
Jess Wright’s emotional rendering of a front-line surgeon searching for meaning in post-WWII America–is engaging, well-paced, and has an excellent arc of character, theme, and plot.
Protagonist Bruce Duncan is relatable and worthy of an entire novel; his internal and external battles and hard-won decency is the driving force of the story.
IndieReader
A Stream to Follow touchingly examines trauma, heartbreak, and what it takes to move ahead, in a story that will please readers of character-driven historic and literary fiction.
Wright‘s ability to immerse the reader into the realistic plotline, whether in scenes of the war or of traversing the streets of small-town Pennsylvania, compels this engaging and humane novel forward to its riveting conclusion.
Book Life
These pages recall the best parts of Hemingway’s Nick Adams, diving deep into the ghosts of war, embers of passion, and the drive to do good work. Jess Wright has a breathtaking winner with A Stream to Follow.
Devin Murphy, best-selling author of The Boat Runner and Tiny Americans
Historical fiction at its finest. Bruce Duncan is a determined and gentle hero whom readers will root for page after page.
Samantha Specks, award-winning author of Dovetails in Tall Grass. . .