Heaven

Casey’s relationship with her mother is fraught with tension. What would be difficult about having Victoria as a mother? Do you think Casey was too hard on her?

Victoria’s history with the Black family was indeed complicated. How right or wrong was she at the time of Matthew’s death? Was she at all justified in keeping Casey away from them? She was estranged from many of her own relatives. Do you think she was selfish
or a living example of a hurting person, hurting other people?

How might Casey’s life have been different if she grew up knowing her grandmother and the other members of the Black family? Do you/have you had someone like Granna in your life? How have they influenced you?

The theme of grief was present in many aspects of this story for all the characters. Casey’s mother said, “Sometimes we have to grieve the dead thing in the quiet of the night. When we lie on our beds, we can shed our tears because life doesn’t allow us to stop moving.” How has this thinking played out in your life and the lives of women you know? Do you consider it to be necessary or potentially unhealthy?

How did Casey’s experience with her family’s faith affect her? Do you believe it played a part in her emotional healing and the decisions she made in the final chapters of the book?

The freedom to do what we want as opposed to what others expect can be a hinderance to finding our true purpose, particularly for women. Discuss some of the examples of this in the book and share a personal story about how this thinking has
benefited or harmed you.

There were several parallels between Casey’s life and Odessa’s. Discuss the similarities and differences. What are some things you can and should do that women before you could not? Have you fully actualized your advantages?

Do you think Odessa compromised too much for the men in her life—first for Elijah and then for her father? Do you think she’d make a different decision today?

I have no doubt Granna had been praying for a new wife for Nigel when her lovely, albeit wounded, granddaughter showed up in their lives. She did everything she could to push them together. Was this wisdom or overstepping?

I enjoy writing about emotionally intelligent men. Nigel was hard not to love, but Casey and Ava were wrong about what he wanted. Why do you suppose that was?

Casey and Nigel discuss the fact that neither of them learned very much about Black history in school. Did you learn anything from this story?

Casey ultimately got everything she wanted because she made the decision to choose a different life. Her mother advised her to pivot (be honest with her followers) the day after the video, advice she did not take, which ultimately led her to Georgetown. She eventually did pivot in many ways and was transparent with her followers. Why do you think she couldn’t do it initially?

The use of symbolism for home and farming were heavily used in the novel. What were some examples that resonated with you? How do you define home?