Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. Ben Reeves borrows his title from Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-Five. If you were familiar with Vonnegut’s work, how did that knowledge shape your reading experience from the start? For those new to the reference, how did your understanding of the phrase “Everything Was Beautiful and Nothing Hurt” change as the story unfolded?

2. How did you react to having Death personified as the narrator, Travis? Did you find his presence comforting, unsettling, or something else, and did your feelings about him change by the end of the novel?

3. The story concludes with a direct address to you, the reader, in the chapter “A Twenty-Minute Gift.” What emotional impact did this ending have on you? Did it feel like a fitting conclusion to the themes explored throughout the book?

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

1. Layla’s photography celebrates what her mother calls “pointless stuff,” finding beauty in the mundane. Think about your own daily life. What small, seemingly insignificant moments or objects bring you a sense of beauty or joy?

2. The novel argues that community is essential for overcoming grief, as seen in the support Dalia and Nick eventually offer each other. Think about a time when connection with others made a difficult situation more manageable. What does the story suggest about the different forms that support can take, and how did you relate to them?

3. Travis’s quiet presence offers Dalia a space to simply exist with her grief without judgment. Have you ever found comfort in someone’s silent companionship during a challenging time? What made their presence so impactful?

4. What does the quiet loneliness of characters like the poet John Lamb suggest about the need for simple, everyday human connection? Has this story made you think differently about your brief interactions with strangers or neighbors?

5. Nick eventually comes to see life as a series of temporary stays in a hotel, some good and some bad, rather than a permanent house. What do you think of this metaphor for understanding and accepting suffering? How does it align with or differ from your own perspective on navigating life’s challenges?

6. In what ways does the community garden function as a sanctuary for both Travis and Dalia? Think about a place in your own life that feels like a refuge. What characteristics make that space feel safe and restorative for you?

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

1. How does the novel’s portrayal of Travis as a gentle, empathetic guide challenge more traditional or frightening cultural depictions of a “grim reaper”? What might this reimagining suggest about a desire for a more compassionate, modern conversation around death and dying?

2. What commentary does Dalia’s isolation after Layla’s death offer about the support systems available for grieving parents? Does her experience highlight any gaps or strengths in how communities typically respond to such a destructive loss?

3. The story repeatedly remarks on the emotional numbness of people exposed to death, such as those who witness a man’s death by suicide at the train station and the line operator managers’ emotional detachment. What are these digressions meant to indicate about the modern world and how people engage with life and death?

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

1. How would you compare Travis’s narrative voice to that of Death in Markus Zusak’s The Book Thief? Both narrators are supernatural observers of human suffering, but what differences do you see in their tone, perspective, and level of emotional investment?

2. The novel is structured non-linearly, with flash-forwards to Dalia occurring alongside the events of the narrative present. What does this indicate about time, death, and Travis’s role in Dalia’s life in particular?

3. What is the narrative purpose of the doe and fawn vignette, and how does its impact change during Travis’s emotional breakdown wherein he imagines himself as the helpless fawn?

4. Dalia nearly dies by suicide on three occasions. Each time, she decides not to for different reasons: because she’s upset with Travis’s passivity, because Travis sends Nick to help her, and because Travis finally begs her not to. What do these differing means of saving Dalia’s life represent within Travis’s character arc?

5. In what ways do photographs, Travis’s restoration work and Layla’s candid snapshots, function in the story? How does this compare to other forms of media remarked upon, such as Mansoor Gupta’s TV or Barry Lightfoot’s wedding video?

6. What purpose do the brief stories of minor characters like Mansoor, Keith Rotherham, and Lucy and her siblings serve in the broader narrative? How do their lives amplify the novel’s central themes?

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. The novel ends by giving you a “twenty-minute gift” and stating that 19 minutes remain. If you were to write the next paragraph, what would you do with that time to honor the book’s message of cherishing the present moment?

2. If you were casting a film adaptation, which actor do you believe could best capture Travis’s unique mix of ancient weariness, deep compassion, and deep loneliness? What qualities would make them right for the role?

3. Imagine you’ve been asked to design the headstone for Layla’s grave. Based on her character and her love for photography, what image or short phrase would you choose to engrave on it to best represent her spirit?