Crow Talk

The injured baby crow allows Frankie to connect with Aiden even though he can't speak. How do interactions with wild creatures open our hearts? Have you ever had an experience with a sick or injured wild animal?

At the beginning of the story, Frankie, Anne, and Aiden have each been silenced in some way. How are their experiences similar? How are they different?

How does the book explore the characters' relationships to home and family?

Anne's work as a teacher and composer involves the emotional interpretation of written music. How do other characters express themselves outside of spoken language and traditional forms of communication?

"Crow's-feet, as the crow flies, eating crow. Something to crow about. Up with the crows. A crow to pull. Crow bait" (page 227). Animals have found their way into our language. What other ways are animals present in our everyday lives?

"'Níl aon anacair anama ann go dtí go mbeidh leanaí ag duine,' Gran said. There's no anguish of the soul until one has children" (page 61). Anne recalls her grandmother saying this when she and Tim are searching for Aiden when he's lost in the storm. Why does parenthood bring anguish? What is Anne trying to protect Aiden from?

"Mary Frances O'Neill was a young woman of many firsts" (page 1). How does this introduction to Frankie set up her character?

How does Tim change as a son, husband, and father over the course of the novel?

Throughout the book, Aiden is focused on fairy tales. What themes reoccur in the fairy tales and what might they be saying about Aiden's thinking? Were any of them familiar to you?

Anne faces a series of choices about what's best for Aiden, for her marriage, and for her career. What did you think of Anne's decisions for her family at the end of the book?

June Lake and the surrounding woods offer the characters a place of respite and healing. Did any elements of the setting speak to you? Was there ever a time you found comfort or solace in the natural world?

At their first meeting, Frankie and Anne could not seem more different. However, the friendship that forms between them helps them both overcome difficult losses. What is the basis for their friendship? Have you ever had the experience of unexpected friendship?