After Annie: A Novel

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

1. The sense of Annie’s presence remains strong throughout the novel despite her physical absence. Is there someone in your life whose influence has continued to guide you even when they’re gone?

2. What coping mechanisms have you developed when facing difficult life situations? Do these strategies mirror or differ from those used by the characters in the novel?

3. The novel suggests that grief is nonlinear and doesn’t follow a prescribed timeline. How has this aligned with your own experiences of loss?

4. Ali struggles with others seeing her primarily as the “dead-mother student” (99). Have you ever experienced being defined by a single circumstance rather than being seen as a complete person?

5. Bill keeps Annie’s phone charged beside his bed as a way to maintain connection with her. What objects or rituals have helped you maintain connections with people who are no longer present in your life?

6.Miss Cruz tells Ali that “there’s some things you can’t fix, no matter how hard you try” (266). When have you had to accept that something was beyond your control to fix?

Examine the book’s relevance to societal issues, historical events, or cultural themes.

1. Throughout the novel, we see various societal expectations regarding how people should grieve and move on after a loss. What impact do these expectations have on the characters’ behavior?

2. The novel portrays how schools address students coping with tragedy through Ali’s interactions with her school counselor. Do you think our educational systems effectively support children through grief?

3. Annemarie’s substance use disorder journey highlights the challenges of addiction and recovery. What does the novel reveal about society’s approach to addiction and the role of accountability partners?

Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and symbolism.

1. Quindlen uses the changing seasons as a framework for the family’s grief journey. What significance does this structure lend to the narrative?

2. The moon appears repeatedly as a symbol throughout the novel. What does it represent for different characters?

3. Though Annie dies on the first page, her character develops through others’ memories and flashbacks. Which techniques make Annie feel like a fully realized character despite her physical absence?

4. Discuss the ways Ant’s anger, Ali’s maturity, and Bill’s withdrawal demonstrate how grief manifests differently across age groups and personality types.

5. Similar to Joan Didion’s The Year of Magical Thinking, this novel explores the aftermath of sudden loss and the ways memories can both comfort and haunt the bereaved. What distinguishes these works in their approach to documenting grief?