Flight Behavior

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

1. Dellarobia feels as though her marriage, which resulted from an unexpected pregnancy, limits her life’s potential. Have you experienced a moment when you had to redefine your sense of possibility after your life took an unexpected turn?

2. The novel explores the concept of “diapause”—butterflies’ state of dormancy until conditions change. Dellarobia compares this to her marriage and life. Have you experienced periods of “diapause” in your own life? What eventually triggered your awakening?

3. Education and access to knowledge play significant roles in the novel, and Dellarobia notes the vast differences between her limited education and the scientists’ opportunities. How has your own educational background shaped your options and worldview?

4. Dellarobia struggles to be taken seriously by both her family and the scientific community. Have you ever felt caught between different worlds or communities where you didn’t quite belong? How did you navigate those situations?

5. When Dellarobia saves the newborn lamb, she processes some of her long-held grief about her miscarried child. How have you dealt with unresolved feelings in your life? Did a specific event help you find closure?

6. The relationship between Dellarobia and her mother-in-law Hester evolves throughout the novel as they discover shared experiences. Has a difficult relationship in your life ever transformed after learning more about the other person’s perspective or history?

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

1. Flight Behavior portrays the socioeconomic divide between rural communities and urban educated elites. How relevant do you find this portrayal to current social and political divisions in America? Has this divide grown or shifted since the book’s publication in 2012?

2. Dellarobia observes that tribalism prevents people from accepting information that contradicts their community’s beliefs. How do you see this phenomenon manifesting in contemporary discussions of climate change and other environmental issues?

3. The novel examines how media coverage (through Tina Ultner’s reporting) simplifies and sensationalizes complex issues. How has media coverage influenced your understanding of environmental topics? What responsibilities do journalists have when reporting on scientific topics?

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

1. How does Kingsolver use the butterfly migration as both a plot device and a metaphor throughout the novel? What layers of meaning does this symbol acquire as the story progresses?

2. Consider the novel’s treatment of motherhood through Dellarobia, Hester, and even the butterflies carrying their eggs. How did these different portrayals complicate your understanding of maternal sacrifice and responsibility?

3. The novel’s title, Flight Behavior, can be interpreted in multiple ways. What different forms of “flight” (literal and metaphorical) appear throughout the story, and how do they contribute to the novel’s themes?

4. How does Kingsolver use language and dialect to establish different characters’ backgrounds and perspectives? What effect did this have on your understanding of the social dynamics in the novel?

5. The relationship between humans and nature in Flight Behavior shares similarities with works like Richard Powers’s The Overstory. How do these novels differ in their approach to environmental activism and individual responsibility?

6. The novel ends with Dellarobia witnessing butterflies flying away as she prepares for her own departure. Analyze the effectiveness of this ending in relation to the book’s central themes.