To the Moon and Back

Brainstorm some adjectives to describe Steph, Kayla, Felicia, and Hannah. What traits do they share? Which traits create the biggest rifts between them? Is there a character who resonates strongly with you?

In Part One, Hannah tells Steph and Kayla the story of their ancestors’ experience of Removal; later, Brett tells the Harper sisters about Cherokee Freedmen. How does this information reverberate throughout the novel?

During a fight over the historical inaccuracy of a peacock feather cape, Kayla accuses Hannah of not feeling “authentically Indian enough” (page 47). What does that phrase mean to Kayla in that moment, and how does the meaning evolve for her over the course of the novel? What does being “authentically Indian” mean to Steph, Hannah, and Della?

Think back to Steph’s loves, including Meredith, Della, the physicist, and Nadia. How would you describe each relationship? Does Steph demonstrate any romantic patterns? What about any signs of growth?

Men like Brett, Matthew, and David (or the memory of him) play significant roles in To the Moon and Back. How are Steph, Kayla, and Della affected by their varying approaches to fatherhood?

To the Moon and Back features multiple instances of blended families with nontraditional structures or origin stories, including single motherhood and adoption. Compare and contrast the parenting styles Ramage depicts, and the choices that characters like the Ericsons, Kayla, and Della make for their children.

In the fall of freshman year, Della thinks about the “shadow-life we carry alongside us, the choices we could have made” (page 144). By the end of the novel, what do you think Della might consider her shadow-life? What about Steph, Hannah, and Kayla?

How does Ramage differentiate the various mediums she includes in the book—like texting, Instagram posts, hab logs, and dating profiles—stylistically? How did you feel about this departure from standard prose?

How did learning the true circumstances of David’s death affect your reading of the book, specifically of Steph and Hannah as characters? Were you surprised by the twist?

What would happen to your experience of the book if Ramage had decided to write the story of Steph’s life from Steph’s perspective only? Are there other characters you would want to know via a first-person point of view?

What were your favorite lines or moments from the novel? Did any make you laugh? What about cry?

What lessons does Steph learn by the novel’s end, and what will you take away from the experience of reading To the Moon and Back?