Book Discussion: Lila

Lila by Marilynne Robinson- Abandoning her homeless existence to become a minister's wife, Lila reflects on her hardscrabble life on the run with a canny young drifter and her efforts to reconcile her painful past with her husband's gentle Christian worldview.

Reverend Ames is 70 at the time of his son's birth (explained in the book Gilead)

http://images.macmillan.com/folio-assets/rgg-guides/9780374187613RGG.pdf

Questions:

What were your impressions of the book?


How did your perception of Doll shift throughout the novel? Why did she rescue Lila?

 As she copies difficult passages from the Bible, Lila continually returns to questions about human suffering and misfortune. What is your response to this debate? How does Lila’s practical wisdom compare to the philosophical wisdom of Ames and Boughton?

What lies at the heart of Lila and Ames’s decision to marry? What needs and longings do they share?

What is the significance of Doll’s knife—both literally (as a weapon) and as a metaphor?

 Which of the novel’s Bible quotations resonated most strongly with you? How were you taught to approach a sacred text?

Does the age difference between Lila and Ames create an imbalance in their marriage?

What beliefs does Doll instill in Lila about nurturing a child?

What were Lilas barriers to trust?
How do you build trust with another person, is it as simple as sharing all that you know-especially our most vulnerable moments?

What did you think of the ending?