Angel Falls

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. The novel’s central conflict hinges on Mikaela’s amnesia, a trope that forces her to reevaluate her life. Have you encountered this device in other stories,? How does Angel Falls’s use of amnesia to explore romance and identity compare to other examples, such as the film The Vow or S. J. Watson’s novel Before I Go to Sleep?

2. Which character’s emotional journey did you connect with the most, and why did their experience resonate with you?

3. What was your impression of the novel’s conclusion? Was Mikaela’s reconciliation with Liam realistic or contrived?

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

1. The story draws a clear distinction between Mikaela’s “brushfire passion” for Julian and the steady, foundational love that she built with Liam. Do these portrayals of love align with your own observations of how relationships evolve over time?

2. When Mikaela is incapacitated, every member of the Campbell family has to adopt a new role. Can you recall a time when a crisis required you or your family to shift responsibilities in unexpected ways?

3. Liam struggles with feeling like an “ordinary agate” compared to the “diamond” Julian. Have you ever felt overshadowed by someone you perceived as being more brilliant or successful? How did you navigate those feelings of inadequacy?

4. Last Bend and Angel Falls Ranch represent a sanctuary of authentic community and belonging. How closely does the Campbell family’s sense of being “home” align with your own? What does the concept of “home” mean to you, in concrete terms?

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

1. How does the novel use Julian’s arrival in Last Bend to critique sensationalism and celebrity culture? How have these issues evolved since the book was published?

2. How do Last Bend, Washington, and Beverly Hills represent two different American value systems?

3. How do the characterizations of Liam and Julian reinforce (or challenge) common stereotypes about masculinity and different professions?

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

1. What is the effect of the shifting third-person perspective, which gives us access to the thoughts of Liam, Rosa, Julian, and even Mikaela in her comatose state? How did seeing the events from these multiple viewpoints shape your understanding of the central conflict?

2. Compare this book to another of Hannah’s works, such as Winter Garden, which also features a mother with a deeply suppressed, traumatic past. How are the themes of memory, family secrets, and maternal identity explored differently or similarly in Angel Falls?

3. Julian True is presented as the story’s antagonist, but his character develops over the course of the novel. What does his journey add to the story’s exploration of love and responsibility?

4. Analyze Hannah’s depictions of Mikaela’s comatose state. How does the author employ figurative language and alternative syntax to convey a vivid sense of the protagonist’s altered perceptions?

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. If you could write a scene set five years after the novel’s end, how would the relationships between the key characters have evolved?

2. Imagine that you are adapting Angel Falls for the screen. Which scene would your emphasize the most, and which would you eliminate entirely? Explain your choices.

3. Choose a song that you feel represents the relationship between Mikaela and Liam, and another for the relationship between Mikaela and Julian. What aspects of each song capture the essence of these vastly different relationships?