On the Island - Discussion

I am so sorry that this is so late! I had meant to have it up early Friday because I was going to be out of town all day and then that didn't happen and then the weekend did and it got crazy!

1. The first sentence of the book tells you there is going to be a plane crash, and yet the author builds tension even before the crash. Anna buys two bottles of water and tells T.J. to put one in his backpack, and as readers, we are probably aware that Mick will have a heart attack even before Anna does. Why do you think the author structured it this way? How did it enhance the read?

2. What were your first impressions of Anna and T.J.? And how did they change? At what point do you think Anna started seeing T.J. as an adult? When did you see him as an adult?

3. Anna wishes desperately that the bag containing all the summer reading she packed for her trip would wash ashore. Of all the trappings of civilization she yearns for, it’s reading and books that she seems to miss the most. What five books would you pack if you knew you were facing years alone on a desert island?

This is so tough.  I think I would want to pick light and funny reads if I was stuck on an island because I think the thriller/murder books I enjoy would push me into crazy land!

1. A Stephanie Plum novel to make me laugh
2. The Great Gatsby because I love it and could read it again
3. The Help
4 & 5 two picks I'd never read before ha..

4. Anna and T.J. face a number of hardships on the island and talk about their greatest fears. Which would you fear the most? Losing the one person you are stranded with? Dying of rabies or dehydration or an allergic reaction? Running out of water?

5. Do you think it was realistic that Anna and T.J. waited so long to be together? Would you have waited that long?

6. After three and a half years of only talking to one other person, imagine how overwhelming it would be to try and fit back into society. What do you think would be the most difficult thing to get used to?

7. The age difference between T.J. and Anna is 14 years. How would you feel about dating someone 14 years older or younger than you? How do you think your friends and family and the general public would react to that situation?
Do you think Anna made the right decision in breaking things off with T.J.? Do you think she made the right decision to follow her heart and marry him?

8.  What major emotion or emotions did the story evoke in you as a reader?

Thanks for participating! August's selection is The Pearl Who Broke it's Shell!