Home Front

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

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. What aspects of the Zarkades family’s experience in Home Front did you find most compelling or surprising?

2. How does Hannah’s portrayal of war injuries and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) compare to nonfiction war narratives like Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried or fictional accounts like Virginia Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway?

3. In what ways did the shifting perspectives between Jolene and Michael enhance or detract from your reading experience? Which voice did you enjoy more?

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

1. Which character’s journey in the novel resonated most strongly with your own life experiences? Which did you find hardest to relate to?

2. Have you ever been thrust into a role you weren’t prepared for, similar to Michael’s situation when Jolene deploys?

3. Jolene maintains that happiness is a choice despite her difficult childhood. To what extent do you agree with this philosophy? Do you think maintaining optimism is always possible during difficult circumstances?

4. The novel explores how grief can manifest as anger and withdrawal. What insights did Michael’s grief journey offer about processing loss?

5. What communication strategies have you found effective in your own relationships that might have helped Jolene and Michael?

6. Consider how Jolene balances her identities as soldier and mother. In what ways have you navigated competing priorities or identities in your own life?

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

1. In what ways does the novel challenge or reinforce traditional gender roles within military families? How does this compare to Hannah’s portrayal of women’s roles in her other novels like The Nightingale or The Great Alone?

2. How has the public perception of the Iraq War evolved since the time period depicted in the novel?

3. What does the novel reveal about the healthcare system for veterans, particularly regarding mental health treatment?

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

1. What does Jolene’s helicopter symbolize? How does its meaning and thematic resonances change as the novel goes on?

2. Keith Keller’s story parallels Jolene’s experience with PTSD but takes a more tragic turn. In what ways does his character deepen our understanding of trauma’s potential consequences?

3. How do the different physical spaces in the novel reflect the characters’ emotional states and relationships? How does the Zarkades house in particularly speak to the family’s emotional health?

4. How do the emails, letters, and journal entries that Hannah includes in the novel deepen our understanding of the characters? How do these modes of expression go beyond or differ from what dialogue reveals?

5. In what ways does Tami function as both a support and a counter to Jolene, both during her life and after her death?

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. If you were to cast actors for the main roles in a film adaptation of Home Front, whom would you choose and why?

2. Imagine writing a new entry in Jolene’s journal one year after the novel’s Epilogue. What would she say about her continued recovery and family relationships?

3. If you could add an additional chapter to the book, what would happen and why?

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