Ask Again, Yes

Content Warning: This section of the guide contains discussion of graphic violence, substance use, death by suicide, and mental illness.

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. What did you find most compelling about Keane’s portrayal of two Irish American families over 40 years? Did the span of time enhance your connection to the characters? How did watching characters age and evolve affect your emotional response to their struggles?

2. Many readers compare Ask Again, Yes to other domestic dramas exploring suburban life and family secrets, such as Elizabeth Strout’s Olive Kitteridge or Ann Patchett’s Commonwealth. How does Keane’s approach to family dynamics stand apart from other novels you’ve read?

3. Which character underwent the most significant transformation throughout the novel? What catalyzed their change?

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

1. When Peter tells Kate that the shooting happened to their parents, not to them, he attempts to separate himself from his family’s history. Have you ever tried to distance yourself from your family’s past? What were the consequences?

2. Trauma passes through generations in subtle yet powerful ways throughout the story. How have you witnessed past family experiences shape current behaviors in your own life?

3. Forgiveness emerges as a central theme as characters struggle to move beyond past hurts. Think about a time when you’ve had to forgive someone for a significant wound. What made that forgiveness possible or impossible for you?

4. Peter turns to alcohol to cope with his problems, following a pattern established by his father. What coping mechanisms have you recognized in your own life that might reflect patterns from your family?

5. Anne’s mental health struggles remain largely mysterious to those around her until she finally receives proper treatment. Have you experienced situations where someone’s behavior seemed incomprehensible until you learned more about their background? How did this new understanding change your perspective?

6. Both families in the novel seek the safety and stability of suburban life, yet find that geography can’t protect them from life’s complications. What expectations have you held about how location or environment might change your life circumstances?

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

1. How does the novel’s portrayal of policing in the 1970s compare and contrast with contemporary views of law enforcement? What aspects have changed or remained the same?

2. Mental illness treatment evolves dramatically throughout the narrative, from Anne’s institutionalization to more modern therapeutic approaches. In what ways do these changes reflect broader societal attitudes toward mental health over the decades? What progress still needs to be made?

3. Irish heritage influences how characters approach emotional challenges and family conflicts in the story. What cultural factors shape how different communities respond to trauma and conflict in your experience?

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

1. What purpose does the shifting perspective between characters serve in the novel? How does experiencing events through different characters’ eyes deepen your understanding of the story?

2. The title Ask Again, Yes comes from Molly Bloom’s soliloquy in James Joyce’s Ulysses, a work that also examines ordinary lives in extraordinary depth. If you’ve read Joyce’s work, what significance do you find in this title and its connection to that novel’s themes of repetition and affirmation?

3. Keane uses the broken model ship early in the novel and contrasts it with the injured bird that recovers in the final scene. What do these bookend symbols suggest about the novel’s overall message regarding damage and healing?

4. Anne’s shooting of Francis serves as the novel’s central event, yet it occupies relatively little page space. How does Keane use this structural choice to comment on how traumatic events reverberate through time?

5. Vision imagery—both literal and metaphorical—appears often in the narrative. In what ways does Francis’s eye injury function as a symbol for the characters’ struggles to see each other clearly?

6. Water appears as a recurring motif throughout the novel, from Anne’s mother’s death by suicide by drowning to various emotional moments. What significance does water hold in the narrative? How does this symbolism develop across different characters’ experiences?

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. Imagine you’re creating a playlist that captures the emotional journey of Ask Again, Yes. What songs would you include to represent key moments or characters’ experiences? Why would these musical choices resonate with the novel’s themes?

2. If you were to add an epilogue set 10 years after the novel ends, what would be happening with each character? How might their relationships have evolved?

3. Choices echo through generations in Keane’s narrative. Write a brief scene from the perspective of Peter and Kate’s children as adults, showing how their parents’ experiences and choices have influenced their own lives.

Need more inspiration for your next meeting? Browse all of our Book Club Resources