Book Status: CURRENTLY READING
Month: February 2013
Genre: Literary Thriller
Book of the Month: A Land More Kind Than Home
Author: Wiley Cash
Question source: N/A
Watch Wiley Cash, A Land More Kind Than Home on PBS. See more from NC Bookwatch.
1. Think about the epigraph the author chose to open the book and from
which the novel's title derives. What is the significance of this
particular quote? How does it set the novel's tone and mood? Explain
what the title—"a land more kind than home"—signifies.
2. The novel is told from three characters' perspectives. How does this
add to the story and deepen it as it unfolds? How might it be different
if it had been told from only one of the character's point of view?
3. Talk about Carson Chambliss. Describe his character. Why does he have
such a magnetic hold on his congregation, and especially on Julie? Is
Julie a good mother? Can you understand why she behaved the way she did?
Do you think she understood the truth of her son, Stump's fate? Why is
Addie so afraid of him?
4. How might the events of the story have unfolded differently if Jess
had told his mother the truth about what she heard at the Sunday
afternoon service?
5. Describe this small North Carolina town in which the story takes
place. What is it like? How does its size and remoteness influence the
lives of those who call it home? Sheriff Clem Barfield is not native to
Madison County. How does this impact the way he sees this place and its
people?
6. How can religion uplift a person's soul? How can it be corrupting
influence? Julie considers herself to be a "good Christian woman." What
do you think? Whether you are Christian or not, religious or not, what
is your definition of a "good Christian?" Is anyone in the novel
virtuous, and if so, in what way?
7. Why did Addie pull the children out of Chambliss's services? Did she have any other options?
8. When Jess asks his grandpa if Stump will be able to talk in heaven,
Jimmy tells him, "Of course he will. We'll all be able to talk. And
we'll be able to understand each other." What does his answer reveal
about him and the world? What is he trying to teach Jess?
9. Think about Jimmy Hall. What kind of relationship does she have with his son? What about with Sheriff Barefield?
10. Can this novel be compared to a Shakespearean tragedy? If so, in
what ways? Think about various stories and proverbs from the Bible. How
are they reflected in the story?
11. What role does nature and the natural world play in the novel?
12. Addie believes that this place and its people will be saved in the
wake of tragedy. Do you believe in salvation? What role does forgiveness
play in this story? Do you think people can change for the better?
What about Jimmy Hall? How do the novel's events impact his relationship
with the sheriff and with his grandson, Jess?
13. Think about the novel's themes: revenge, faith, betrayal, goodness
and evil, forgiveness and understanding. Choose a character and show how
these themes are demonstrated through his or her life.
