The Wayfinder

Adam Johnson’s The Wayfinder is a sweeping ocean saga featuring a cast of compelling characters. Which characters resonated with you the most, and why? How did they evolve over the course of the novel? How did your view of them evolve?

When we first meet the people of Bird Island, they’ve been rationing food for years out of fear of going hungry. What other sacrifices have they made in order to survive? Who lives a life of abundance in The Wayfinder? How do these starkly different realities influence the way characters treat one another and the natural world around them?

Kōrero dreams of becoming a storyteller but soon finds herself on a different path. Discuss her transformation in The Wayfinder and the role storytelling plays within it. What does the storytelling tradition mean to Kōrero and her community? How do the stories she tells—and the ones she hears from friends and family—guide her transformation into the person she becomes by the end of the novel?

Who is the Tamahā? The Tamahā holds unique authority. From where does she derive her power, and how does she use it? What does her role within the royal family say about the expectations and limitations placed upon women in the kingdom of Tonga?

Lolohea, the Second Son, and Finau must complete ambitious and brutal tasks to fulfill their destinies as the sons of the Tu‘itonga. Discuss these tasks. What is the purpose of them? Did any strike you as particularly difficult or cruel? Which son’s journey spoke to you the most, and why? How might the Tu‘itonga describe the futures he envisions for his sons? What do you think each son really wants out of life?

“Family is all one truly has” (116). Explore the many families you see in The Wayfinder, both biological and found. Which families foster kinship? Which families create conflict? How do these family dynamics compare with the relationships in your life?

The novel takes place in an astonishing realm where parrots speak poetry and a powerful fan returns the dead to life. Discuss these extraordinary scenes. How did they enrich your reading experience, and how did they compare with the all-too-real scenes of human cruelty? How does Johnson’s inclusion of Tongan mythology affect how you read the novel?

“From the eyes of a captive, the nomad appears the freest person upon the sea” (118). Discuss the question of freedom and captivity in The Wayfinder. Who is truly free in the novel? Who is captive, and who or what holds them there?

Hā Mutu tells Kōrero, “The oldest tales are tales of survival” (181). Later, Tiri tells her, “Love is the only enduring topic” (185). Apply this to The Wayfinder. When is it a story of survival? When is it a story of love?

“Loyalty isn’t the measure of a man,” ‘Aho says while reflecting on his retribution pact with the Tu‘ilifuka. “It’s the measure of those loyal to him” (197). Which characters in The Wayfinder would you consider loyal? What inspires their loyalty? When is loyalty expected in the novel, and when is it earned?

‘Aho shares a complicated connection with his son, Mateaki, marked by both violence and fierce protection. Discuss their relationship. How does it compare with other parent-child bonds in the novel?

On page 381, ‘Aho challenges the Tu‘itonga to a duel. What mounting tensions between the siblings led up to the fight? How does the duel’s devastating outcome shape the battles yet to come?

“A man is his sacrifices,” the Tu‘itonga declares. “In the end, he’s made of nothing else” (440). Select a character from the novel. What sacrifices do they make, and what choice do they have in making them? Do you believe our sacrifices define us, or are we defined by something else?

“It’s not the enemy club that you have to look out for,” the Tu‘itonga advises Lolohea, “but the treacherous tale” (456). Why might the king say this to his son? When do stories offer guidance in The Wayfinder? When do they mislead? When are they used as a weapon, and which characters wield them best?

In the novel’s dramatic finale, Kōrero makes a shocking decision. Revisit this scene on page 670. What do you think motivates Kōrero’s actions? If you were her, what would you have done? And if you were personally handed an all-powerful fan, how would you deploy it?