Wreck

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. The novel builds its narrative around two parallel crises: Rocky’s private health scare and the public tragedy of the train crash. Did you find this dual structure effective in exploring the book’s central themes?

2. If you’ve read Catherine Newman’s other novels, like We All Want Impossible Things or Sandwich, how does Wreck compare in its exploration of domestic life, illness, and grief?

3. Wreck balances moments of dark humor with profound anxiety. Did you connect with Rocky’s narrative voice? What scenes stood out to you and why?

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

1. Rocky’s journey through the healthcare system is a “diagnostic odyssey” filled with frustrating bureaucracy and confusing results delivered through a patient portal. Did her experience resonate with any of your own interactions with modern healthcare?

2. What unspoken rules, inside jokes, or shared histories, like the Newmans’s collective dislike of lamb, help define your own family or community?

3. Rocky comes to believe that deep love is inseparable from a fear of loss. Do you agree with this idea? How does the novel’s portrayal of happiness as a “precarious” state align with your own perspective on life and relationships?

4. The novel contains visceral descriptions of parental anxiety, particularly when Rocky watches Willa suffer a panic attack. Based on your experience as a parent and/or child, what did you think of the way Newman portrayed the intensity of a parent’s love and fear? In your experience, to what degree are Rocky’s internal struggles accurate?

5. From polar plunges to making grape jelly, characters in the book turn to various rituals for comfort. What activities or practices help you find a sense of order when life feels chaotic?

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

1. The novel is a sharp critique of corporate practices like “acceptable risk” and “the VSL, the value of a statistical life” (170). What does Wreck suggest about how modern corporations distance themselves from the human consequences of their financial decisions? Are there any recent events that support this viewpoint of corporate accountability for tragedy?

2. How does the novel portray the media and the public’s relationship with tragedy, especially through the online comments and news articles that shape the narrative around Miles Zapf’s death?

3. The guide details the real-world frustrations of the American healthcare system. What broader commentary does the novel offer on the systemic issues that create a “diagnostic odyssey” for patients like Rocky?

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

1. The train and the rash function as parallel symbols of destructive forces, and each serves as a “wreck” from the title. Are there any other literal or figurative “wrecks” in the narrative? Why would you label them as destructive?

2. There are many minor characters in the novel—the many doctors, Jo, Sunny, Maya, and others. Choose one and examine their role in the narrative. Why is their presence essential?

3. We experience the entire story through Rocky’s first-person perspective. How does her distinctive voice, with its blend of anxiety and humor, shape your understanding of the events and the moral complexities the family faces?

4. The novel investigates corporate negligence through the lens of one family’s experience. Consider other stories, like John Grisham’s The Rainmaker or a non-fiction work like A Civil Action, that explore similar themes. How does Wreck’s focus on systemic failure compare and contrast to these works?

5. The story concludes not with a cure for Rocky or a legal verdict for the train company, but with a focus on acceptance. What does this choice of resolution says about the novel’s ultimate message?

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. If you could create a soundtrack for Wreck that represents Rocky’s emotional journey, what songs would you select? Why?

2. Revise the story of the train wreck and its aftermath so it is told from Maya’s point of view. Consider how she would process what happened and her husband’s involvement in the tragedy.

3. Rocky’s hepatologist advises her, “You can visit with the fear, but don’t hire a van and move there” (203). What do you imagine this “visit” looks like for Rocky after the novel ends, and how might she apply this advice to her life?