Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. Run for the Hills balances deadpan humor with deep emotional pain, a signature of Kevin Wilson’s style. Did you find this blend effective? Where did you find yourself laughing, and where did the story’s emotional weight feel most present?

2. Kevin Wilson is known for his stories about eccentric, unconventional families. How does Run for the Hills fit in with his other work, for example, The Family Fang or Nothing to See Here? If this was your first Wilson novel, did its blend of quirky humor and heartfelt emotion make you want to read more?

3. Were you satisfied with the novel’s ending? Did Madeline “Mad” Hill’s return home and her quiet acceptance of her new, complicated family feel like a fitting resolution, or were you hoping for a more dramatic final confrontation or a different outcome for Charles?

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

1. Mad initially believes family is something you are born into and that it can only be reduced, never added to. How did the siblings’ journey to build their own unique family structure resonate with your own ideas of kinship? Discuss how chosen families can be as powerful as biological ones.

2. The novel explores The Tension Between Inherited Legacy and Self-Creation via the Hill siblings’ senses of self in light of their father’s identity. Explore how the novel does or does not resonate with disparities between your own life path or identity and those of your parents’ or guardians’.

3. In the novel’s final sequences, Charles tries to explain his actions by saying his “imaginary life was more important” (198) than his real one. Have you ever felt the pull of an imagined, alternate version of your own life? What do you think this impulse says about human nature and the desire for reinvention?

4. How did the siblings’ different memories of their “dads” make you think about the subjective nature of your own family history?

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

1. The novel explores a destructive version of the American myth of self-reinvention, with Charles using the open road to continually erase his past. How does this story challenge or complicate that cultural ideal of starting over? Do you think our society values personal freedom over familial responsibility; why or why not?

2. Charles Hill’s journey is a dark take on the classic American road trip. How does the novel subvert this literary trope, especially when compared to works like Jack Kerouac’s On the Road, where travel symbolizes escape and self-discovery? What does the siblings’ journey to reclaim their past, rather than escape it, say about this literary tradition?

3. When Mad first meets Reuben “Rube” Hill, her disbelief is rooted in the idea that “this wasn’t supposed to be how a family worked (12).” How does the novel reflect the changing definitions of family in contemporary society, moving away from the traditional nuclear model?

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

1. The motif of nicknames and changing names is central to Charles’s identity. How does this device function throughout the story to illustrate his pattern of reinvention and erasure? What is the significance of him naming his youngest son Reuben, a name from a life he had already abandoned?

2. How do the 8mm home movie interludes relate to the narrative themes? How do these silent, visual breaks from the main narrative contribute to Wilson’s explorations of reclaiming a fractured past? How is each family member represented in this footage, and what do their roles suggest about family, legacy, and reconciliation?

3. How does Madeline’s character arc illustrate the novel’s idea of self-creation, moving from an identity defined by her father’s absence to one defined by her newfound siblings?

4. How do you interpret the Dardanelle Ranch as the story’s final setting? In what ways do the modern cabin, the strange wooden structure, and Charles’s role as a groundskeeper for wealthy heiresses serve as a fitting, ironic end to his lifelong quest for reinvention?

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. Imagine that you are one of Charles’s children. If you had the opportunity for a private conversation with him, what one question would you ask him? Share your questions and discuss your reasons for wanting this information from Charles. How do you imagine Charles would respond?

2. Imagine you are Theron “Tom” Goudy, the young filmmaker. How would you edit the footage from the road trip and the old home movies to tell the siblings’ story? What would be the opening scene of your documentary, and what would be the final shot? How would your imagined frame express your outlook on your found family?

3. The novel ends shortly after the siblings part ways, but they promise to stay in each other’s lives. Imagine a family gathering between the siblings one year later. Where would it take place, who would be there, what would the atmosphere be like, and what would the siblings discuss?