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BOOK CLUB DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR THE REFUGE
GENERAL QUESTIONS:
Did the title The Refuge take on different meanings as you read? What other settings in the book besides The Amarant do you think could be considered “refuges” of their own? How did the book make you think about the concept of safe spaces?
There are multiple perspectives in The Refuge. If you could have one scene from the book told from a different character's point of view, which scene and which character would you choose, and why?
Which scene has stayed with you the most since you finished reading, and why?
SPECIFIC PASSAGES:
In the opening scene, Johnny corrects the little boy who says he wants to be like an elephant with an incredible memory, saying “Never forgetting anything, I don’t know about that. Sounds tough.” What does that line tell us about Johnny? How does it play out in the rest of the book?
After Johnny’s daughter passes away, he often re-reads the notes she wrote in the margins of her books. But one in particular haunts him: “He had never read the book, so he didn’t know what it meant. And he never would. He couldn’t risk knowing who had inspired the comparison.” What do you think is the significance of this passage? What do we learn about Johnny in this moment, and how does that play out in the rest of the book?
On page 42, it reads, “Johnny wished he could split this moment down the middle, create two alternate universes so each Maeve and each Johnny could move ahead without him ever wondering if he made the right choice, because both universes existed, and he’d never actually made the choice at all.” How does this moment connect to the rest of the story? Does the book ever let anyone avoid a choice like that? Where else do we see characters pretending a decision hasn’t been made?
CHARACTER QUESTIONS:
Johnny decides to support Maeve's lie to the police officer, pretending that he was her father. Did you understand his choice? Was it an act of kindness, a mistake, or both?
Why do you think Maeve does not talk about her past with her daughter? Do you understand her choice? How did your view of Maeve change as Ava learned more about her?
Layton is a prominent figure at the Beacon Hilltop, which is revealed to be a group of doomsday preppers. Do you think that he genuinely believed the world was ending? Did Evelyn?
Why do you think Evelyn is drawn into the Beacon Hilltop community?
In the section of the book told from Winona’s POV, we learn that she did not always think the creation of The Amarant was a good idea. Why do you think she took the job anyway?
How does each character’s work on the refuge (Johnny and Ava as tour guides, Maeve in childcare, Sam in security, Winona as President) tell us about them?
Evelyn, Ava, and Maeve all echo the name Eve in some way. Did you notice that, and what do you think the significance could be?
The first time Johnny and Maeve speak, there is a sagebrush lizard in front of them that they discuss. The species is known for hibernating and also playing dead to fend off predators. What symbolism does this animal play? What other animals take on symbolic meanings in the book?
THE ENDING:
The last words of the book are “But tell me again.” Why did you think of that ending line? Why do you think it was significant?
The book toggles between 5 different points of view, with sections dedicated to Johnny, Ava, Winona, Evelyn, and (only at the end) Maeve. Why do you think the author chose not to include Maeve’s POV until the very end?
What did you think of The Epilogue and where Ava and Maeve’s story ended? What did that short scene tell us about how both Ava and Maeve changed in the passing years?