Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. What was your initial reaction to the opening scene with the house fire? How did it set the tone for the rest of the story and your expectations for April and Leo’s journey?

2. How did you find the novel’s portrayal of a family navigating Alzheimer’s disease? If you’ve read other books that tackle dementia, like Lisa Genova’s Still Alice, how did this novel’s approach feel similar or different to you?

3. The story concludes on a hopeful note, with April and Leo choosing to rebuild their marriage. What did you think of this resolution? Did it feel earned after everything they had been through?

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

1. Deb and Billy’s marriage reveals that a deep, lasting love can grow from a complicated beginning built on obligation. Think about a long-term relationship in your own life, whether romantic or platonic. How has its foundation or meaning changed and evolved over time?

2. Leo’s deep-seated fear of abandonment causes him to withdraw emotionally, creating a self-fulfilling prophecy in his marriage. In what ways have you seen past experiences or fears influence how people behave in their current relationships?

3. April’s instinct is to save Leo’s novel, Seventh City, from the fire, preserving a piece of their shared history. What’s an object or memento in your life that holds a significant memory or represents an important relationship for you?

4. The path to reconciliation for April and Leo is messy and requires them both to accept their part in the breakdown of their marriage. What did you think of the way the novel portrayed this process? Does it align with your own ideas about what genuine forgiveness entails?

5. When it comes to the genetic test for Alzheimer’s, which sibling’s perspective, Josie’s or Cameron’s, did you find more relatable? What made you feel that way?

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

1. What does April’s journey reveal about the societal pressures placed on caregivers, particularly women, to manage the emotional and logistical needs of their entire family?

2. How did setting the story in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic amplify the characters’ feelings of isolation and strain? Would April and Leo’s crisis have unfolded differently without the backdrop of the lockdown? Why or why not?

3. Billy asks Deb to help him end his life if his illness progresses. How did you feel about the inclusion of this issue, and what conversations does it open up about autonomy and dignity?

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

1. What is the symbolic importance of the burning house? What is its function in the characters’ and the themes’ development, aside from the literal loss of April and Leo’s home?

2. In what ways do the Russo siblings, the expressive Josie and the conventional Cameron, serve as foils for April? How do their different life choices and personalities highlight her own internal struggles?

3. The narrative structure alternates between the present crisis and flashbacks to earlier points in April and Leo’s relationship. How did this non-linear approach shape your understanding of why their marriage fell apart and your perception of each character’s role in it?

4. How do the literary allusions to The Count of Monte Cristo and The Little Prince frame Leo’s battle with the conflicting paths of vengeance and forgiveness?

5. How does Billy’s experience with Alzheimer’s act as a parallel to April and Leo’s struggle to hold onto their shared history?

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. If you were casting a film adaptation of The Burning Side, who would you choose to play April, Leo, Deb, and Billy? What qualities make those actors the right fit for these roles?

2. The Epilogue jumps ahead 30 years to show the family’s future. If you were to write a scene from the intervening years, what moment in the family’s life would you choose to depict to show their healing and growth?

3. Picture yourself in April’s position, rushing out of your burning house with only seconds to think. What single, inanimate object would you instinctively try to save, and what makes it so important to you?