Into the Blue

This novel spans thirteen years and three parts. What did you think of the pacing of the novel? Which part was your favorite?

Improv acting is front and center in the novel. It's what first connects Noah and AJ and what keeps connecting them for thirteen years. What did you think about the use of the art form in the novel?

When improv brings Noah and AJ into "The Black Room," they're completely in sync. Have you ever experienced that kind of wordless understanding with someone? What made it possible?

Noah and AJ both grew up with alcoholic fathers. How does that shape their childhoods, and how does it echo in the way they handle other relationships as adults?

Noah vanishes after learning about his Huntington's diagnosis. Did you understand his decision to leave, or did you find it frustrating?

After losing Noah and Eudora, AJ turns from acting to writing and slips into the background of her improv circle. Noah later insists she belongs onstage. Is he right? What is AJ avoiding?

The sci-fi world of "Astronauticals" and especially "Into the Blue" is a story within the story. What did that layer add for you, and which episode stayed with you?

Patrick's accident is a catalyzing event in the novel. How does it impact the different characters?

Talk about AJ and Brian. What draws her to him, and what keeps her with him for so long? Did AJ treat Brian fairly?

Noah's diagnosis is certain in outcome but unknowable in timing, and he responds by controlling everything else he can. What does he lose by scripting his life?

After Noah and AJ get together, Noah still insists that it be for a limited time, wanting to spare AJ a future as his caretaker. Was that Noah's choice to make? Is there a way he could he have held the same position and caused less damage?

Compare Noah and AJ's work together across the three phases: training under Eudora, starring in "Into the Blue," and producing "Fire & Water." What changes between them, and what stays constant?

During "Fire & Water," AJ and Noah use onstage improvisation to have the weighty conversations they can't seem to have privately. What blocks them in private? What does the frame of performance make possible?

AJ's relationship with her twin Emily is very important to her. Discuss the role that Emily plays in AJ's life, particularly in her moment of crisis.

AJ chooses to be with Noah despite knowing that she will lose him to Huntington's Disease in a very painful way. Is it better to experience love fully or to guard yourself against the pain that's coming?

What do you think finally changed Noah's mind at the end?

Knowing that Noah's disease is still progressing, albeit slowly, would you consider the ending of "Into the Blue" to be a "happily ever after"? Did you close the book feeling hopeful or grieving?