The Someday Garden

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. The novel blends a heartfelt story of grief with elements of fantasy and romance. How well did you feel these different genres worked together? Did any particular aspect of the story resonate with you more than the others?

2. How did you react to the novel’s central fantasy element, the time-distorted secret garden? Stories about magical gardens or places outside of time have a long history, such as in Frances Hodgson Burnett’s The Secret Garden (1910) or C.S. Lewis’s The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (1950). How does this book use that classic idea in a new or surprising way?

3. Did the book’s ending feel satisfying to you? Considering the journeys of Sophie, Rus, and Oliver, how earned did their resolutions feel, and what made you feel that way?

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

1. What does the novel suggest about the process of healing from grief? Sophie fears that finding new happiness would be a betrayal of Harrie’s memory. Have you ever felt this way about your own grief? How did you handle and process it?

2. Harrie’s collection of untranslatable words gives Sophie a special vocabulary to name complex feelings. Have you ever encountered a word from another language that perfectly captured a feeling you couldn’t describe in your own? What do you think makes this concept so appealing?

3. Lilymoor’s staff, including the eccentric Eula, steady Wykofski, and caring Juliette, becomes a found family for Sophie. Think about a time when a community or group of friends provided support during a difficult period. Discuss how Sophie’s experiences with community related to your own.

4. How did Sophie’s journey from a logic-driven horticulturist to someone who embraces the possibility of magic strike you? Have you ever had an experience that challenged your own rational view of the world or made you more open to wonder?

5. Sophie uses Harrie’s Magic 8 Ball to seek guidance and comfort. Do you have a personal ritual or object that you turn to when you’re feeling lost or in need of direction? What makes these small acts of faith or habit meaningful to you?

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

1. Floriography, the Victorian language of flowers, is a key element in the story, allowing characters to communicate feelings that are too difficult to say aloud. In what ways do we use coded or non-verbal language to express ourselves in today’s world, perhaps through social media, fashion, or music?

2. What do you think our modern fascination with “untranslatable” words says about our culture? Does our interest in terms like fernweh or hiraeth suggest a collective desire for a more subtle way to talk about our emotional lives? Compare this to Sophie’s emotional experiences in the novel.

3. Sophie starts her journey at Lilymoor while struggling with professional burnout, which is connected to her personal grief. How realistically did the novel portray the feeling of being emotionally and professionally stuck? What does her story suggest about the relationship between our work lives and our inner wellbeing?

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

1. How does the author succeed in making Harrie a fully realized character, even though she is gone before the story begins? What specific techniques, such as flashbacks, her journal of untranslatable words, or Sophie’s memories, were most effective in building her presence?

2. What is the significance of the Someday Garden existing outside of linear time? How does this magical space allow Sophie and Rus to confront their emotional stagnation in a way that wouldn’t be possible in the real world?

3. Cyrus and Oliver share a painful history but have developed very different ways of coping with it. How does the novel shape readers’ sympathies toward each character, and did your perspective on either change as their history was revealed?

4. Lilymoor’s gardens are described in considerable detail throughout the novel. How does the setting contribute to the story beyond providing a backdrop? Discuss at least two particular locations that stood out to you.

5. Each chapter begins with an untranslatable word associated with Harrie’s collection. How did these chapter titles influence your reading experience? Discuss one or two that stood out to you. Did you find that they added meaning to the narrative, or did they sometimes feel unnecessary?

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. Imagine you’re designing a “tussie-mussie,” or symbolic bouquet, for one of the main characters at the end of the novel. Which flowers would you choose for Sophie, Rus, or Oliver, and what messages would you want your arrangement to convey about their journey?

2. If you were adapting The Someday Garden into a movie, what would be the most challenging element to bring to the screen? Would it be the time-bending nature of the garden, the internal struggles with grief, or something else entirely?

3. Think about the untranslatable words that frame the story. If you could invent a new word to capture a specific feeling or moment from the book that isn’t already named, what would it be, what would it mean, and which scene would it describe?