Gaining Ground
By Joan Barfoot
A Lit Hub and Observer "Need to Read" Novel of the Summer
"It will stay with me for the rest of my days. A life-changing book" —Samantha Harvey, author of Orbital
Unearthed after half a century, this radical portrait of a woman who leaves her family to live alone in a woodland cabin will pierce the heart of anybody who has ever wanted to escape.
I swear I loved them all, and I did the best I could. And then I left them, left all of it.
Abra is a wife and mother living a suburban dream—until one day, she walks away. In a woodland cabin, her new life alone begins. There are no mirrors, no clocks, no memories: just the squirrels breathing in the forest, and the silence of vegetables growing. Years later, a young woman arrives, and the past-flashes begin. Daughter? A strange word. Is this her? And what will this mean?
Gaining Ground, originally published as Abra in North America, is a both a radical meditation on living on your own terms and an exquisite work of art. It calls to anybody who has ever wanted to escape—who has asked what it costs to be wild, to be sane, to be free.
These discussion questions were provided by the publisher, Faber & Faber.
Book club questions for Gaining Ground by Joan Barfoot
Use these discussion questions to guide your next book club meeting.
Do you think Abra is selfish?
What is the role of Abra's children as characters?
What is the symbolism of nature and animals in relation to Abra?
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Create My ClubHow does the book sit in conversation with literature about the wild, or to literary movements such as Transcendentalism or Romanticism?
Why do you think the story of the McAllister family is included?
The author has said she was influenced by Zen Buddhism - do you see philosophical themes in the book?
Do you interpret the novel's ending as optimistic or pessimistic? Is it aspirational or dystopian, or both/neither?
Is Abra “insane” - and what does that word mean to you, and her?
Is this a feminist book? Does it focus on motherhood, or themes beyond that?
How do you think responses to the book will have changed from 1978 to today? Why did the book only remain a “cul” favourite, without broader fame?
Gaining Ground Book Club Questions PDF
Download a printable PDF of these discussion questions to bring to your meeting.