6. Judith says, “Maybe there is a person the world expects you to be, and all your struggles not to be that person are in vain.” What does the universe expect from Judith? From Jonah? What are the things that prevent them from being who they want to be? How does one really know what kind of person they are supposed to be? Do we decide who we become, or is it dictated by a higher power?
7. Jonah and Judith’s physical appearances change as the novel progresses. How are their appearances altered, and what is the significance of this change? How do their outward selves mirror what happens to them as a whole?
8. Examine Jonah’s relationships with Sylvia, Zoey, and Judith. What causes his relationships with Sylvia and Zoey to fail? Is his relationship with Judith any different? What do you predict for their future together? What do you believe are the core factors in a successful relationship? Do you believe in the fated “one,” or do you think that we choose who we want to be with?
9. What is the role of faith in the novel? Do you think that faith is only associated with religion, or can it be linked to things outside of the divine? How do people come to faith? What were the things that Jonah and Judith put their faith in, and did this change at all during the course of their journey?
10. The novel ends with more uncertainties and questions. What do you think will happen to Jonah and Judith, and what do you think is the author’s reasoning in keeping the ending open to interpretation? What does it mean when God says to Jonah, “Is there not so much more under heaven than shadow?”
Contact us at [email protected] | www.readinggroupgold.com
Don’t forget to check out our monthly newsletter!
THE BOOK OF JONAH: A NOVEL
Copyright © 2014 by Joshua Max Feldman. All rights reserved. For information, address Henry Holt and Co., 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.
www.henryholt.com
Cover design © Rodrigo Corrall Design
The Library of Congress has cataloged the print edition as follows:
Feldman, Joshua Max.
The book of Jonah: a novel / Joshua Max Feldman.—First edition.
pages cm
ISBN 978-0-8050-9776-4 (hardcover)—ISBN 978-0-8050-9777-1 (electronic book)
1. Jewish lawyers—Fiction. 2. Life change events—Fiction. 3. New York (N.Y.)— Fiction. 4. Psychological fiction. I. Title.
PS3606.E3865B66 2014
813’.6—dc23 2013014308
e-ISBN 978-0-8050-9777-1
First Edition: February 2014
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
The Book of Jonah Page 40
