The Way

A postapocalyptic road trip and a quest for redemption.

The world has been ravaged by a lethal virus and, with few exceptions, only the young have survived. Cities and infrastructures have been destroyed, and the natural world has reclaimed the landscape in surprising ways, with herds of wild camels roaming the American West and crocodiles that glow neon green lurking in the rivers.

Against this perilous backdrop, Will Collins, the de facto caretaker of a Buddhist monastery in Colorado, receives an urgent and mysterious request: to deliver a potential cure to a scientist in what was once California. So Will sets out, haunted by dreams of the woman he once loved, in a rusted-out pickup pulled by two mules. A menacing thug is on his tail. Armed militias patrol the roads. And the only way he'll make it is with the help of a clever raven, an opinionated cat, and a tough teenage girl who has learned to survive on her own.

A highly original contribution to the canon of dystopian literature, The Way is a thrilling and imaginative novel, full of warmth, wisdom, and surprises that reflect our world in unsettling, uncanny, and even hopeful ways.

This discussion guide was shared and sponsored in partnership with Spiegel & Grau.

Book club questions for The Way by Cary Groner

Use these discussion questions to guide your next book club meeting.

A central theme in The Way tackles the ability to live a nonviolent life in increasingly volatile times. How does Will confront this throughout the novel? Do you think it’s possible to survive in a world like The Way has created and avoid causing harm to others?

To cope with the stress of his travels, Will writes letters to his former lover, Eva, whom he presumes to be dead. What role do the letters play in Will's emotional life, and how do they affect the story's ultimate outcome?

Cassie and Peau prove themselves to be not only vital to Will’s cross-country mission but also to be excellent companions that help Will fend off loneliness in isolating times. If you could fully communicate with your animals, what would you like to tell them? And if they could reply, what do you think they might tell you in return? How might that relationship change as a result?

How does Will’s relationship with Sophie evolve throughout the course of the novel? How do they help each other change and grow, both as individuals and in how they relate to each other? Is there a particular scene where you felt their relationship shift?

Discuss this quote from The Way: “In a hundred years, I suspected, people would look back at us, at the world of ease and plenty we’d enjoyed, and shake their heads in similar bewilderment: How did they not see it coming?” What parallels do you see with the world we’re currently living in?

The Way has the classic signs of a post-apocalyptic tale (a world ravaged by a lethal virus, cities and infrastructures destroyed), but it also has an unusual take on that world in that the natural world reclaims the landscape, with herds of wild camels roaming the American West and crocodiles that glow neon green lurking in the rivers. Does this perspective differ from other dystopian books you’ve read, and in what ways has the the apocalypse benefitted the planet at large? Do you find these changes hopeful or frightening?

What was your reaction to finding out Flynn’s reason for tracking down Will on his journey to California? Were you surprised? Was there more than one motivation at play?

How might the world look different with a potential cure for Disease X? Given how much the world has changed, how would society shift once it begins to expand its population, especially accommodating more older people?

At the end of the novel, Will revels in the possibility of a new family unit, thanks to an unexpected twist. What do you think the future has in store for him and his newfound family?

The Way Book Club Questions PDF

Click here for a printable PDF of the The Way discussion questions