2. After a terrible betrayal, the sisters Colleen and Hallie haven’t spoken in ten years. Has there been someone in your life who betrayed you? How did you handle it? How can people reconcile after a betrayal?
3. When Lena changes her life, she changes her name to Colleen. Are names powerful enough to change a life? Have you ever changed your name? Has anyone you know? Can that change signify a different life?
4. Alzheimer’s is a terrible disease, and in this novel it both brings the family together and also tears them apart. Have you had an experience with dementia or Alzheimer’s? How has it affected you and/or your family and loved ones?
5. When Colleen returns to Watersend from New York City, the memories come flooding back. Have you had an experience where you return to a place and the memories also return? Can memories be hidden in geography? Does landscape hold memories? How did the landscape influence Colleen’s transformation?
6. The pub, the Lark, plays a prominent role in the novel. It is a community gathering place as well as a family’s heritage. How do you think the pub brought the Donohue family together? The community? Do you have a place like this in your life? Do you think places like this are important to a town or city?
7. Colleen’s job as a travel writer keeps her from putting down roots. She realizes later that it also allows her to avoid intimate connections. Are there things you do to keep your heart safe from hurt? Can we keep our hearts safe—and should we? Did staying away end up helping or hurting Colleen?
8. Colleen unearths a secret about her parents, and this discovery opens her eyes to the past in a new way. What had once been confusing now seems clear. Have you discovered something about your family and seen the past through new eyes? Did this change your choices or your life?
9. Colleen connects with the nieces she had never known and this softens her heart. Can children bring a family closer together? Is it the innocence of children or their reminder that family matters? Have children brought you closer to your family in any way?
10. At the end of the novel, Colleen travels to Ireland to see the land her father loved. Why do you think it was important for Colleen to visit? Is it important to know your roots? To understand where you came from and why?
11. Shane, Colleen and Hallie’s brother, stays above the fray of the sisters’ embittered feud while also keeping the family together by running the pub and taking care of their father. Do siblings often find different roles to play in a family? What are yours?
12. The bonds we share with our siblings is an integral part of this novel—the good and the not-so-good. How do these relationships shape each character? How have your sibling relationships shaped your character?
13. Each sister believes the other to be the “favorite.” Do you think this often happens in families? Has it happened in yours? How does that perception affect a child? An adult? You?
14. Hallie attempts to reconcile numerous times, but Colleen won’t speak to her or answer her mail until their father falls ill. Can tragedy bring families together? Has it ever brought yours together and how?
15. Colleen has spent the last ten years trying to decide what defines “home.” In the end, she is finally able to do so. How would you define “home,” and what does it mean to you? Can you have more than one home? Is it a place or is it the people?
Photo by Beth Hontzas Photography
Patti Callahan Henry is a New York Times bestselling author whose novels include The Bookshop at Water’s End, The Idea of Love, The Stories We Tell, and Driftwood Summer. As Patti Callahan, she’s the author of the USA Today bestseller Becoming Mrs. Lewis. Short-listed for the Townsend Prize for Fiction, and nominated multiple times for the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance (SIBA) Book Award for Fiction, Patti is a frequent speaker at luncheons, book clubs, and women’s groups.
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DID YOU KNOW
Every 65 seconds someone in the United States develops Alzheimer’s; 2/3 of them are women
5.8 million people in the United States have Alzheimer’s
Women make up 2/3 of the caregivers taking care of those with Alzheimer’s
Alzheimer’s can begin to develop 20–30 years before diagnosis
TIPS FOR A BRAIN-HEALTHY LIFE
Exercise—Get moving! Studies show that through exercise you’ll improve blood flow to the brain, release hormones that make you feel good, and stimulate growth factor to help create new neurons and synapses in your brain. Be consistent, mix it up, and don’t forget to move anywhere and everywhere.
Nutrition—What’s good for your heart is good for your brain. Research shows that it improves every aspect of your health to switch out old-fashioned meat and potatoes for the healthier Mediterranean and MIND diets. That means less red meat and bad fats—and loads more fruits and vegetables, avocados, fish, legumes, beans, whole grains, and healthy fats, such as olive oil, seeds, and nuts. Fill your plate with colorful fruits and vegetables. Lose the refined sugar. Hydrate!
Move Your Mind—Challenge your brain. Research indicates that mental activity offers benefits to brain health. Learn something new to create new neural connections. Study an unfamiliar language or take up an instrument. Other ideas include playing, singing, and listening to music. Changing up your daily routines will also help. And give your brain a break from multitasking all the time—by focusing on too many things at once, you are compromising your ability to store information over short periods of time.
Sleep—Rest your busy mind. Sleep is essential in the formation of memories and also in cleaning out amyloid deposits that can lead to Alzheimer’s and other dementias. Your brain needs 7–9 hours a night, so don’t cheat yourself of sleep’s many therapeutic benefits.
Well-Being—Take good care of your precious body. Put out the cigarettes. Practice mindful meditation. Reduce stress and anxiety. Laugh! Stay positive, and find places in your life to rest. Research shows that spending time in nature lowers cortisol—a stress hormone—and is linked with longer life in women, so take a long, silent walk outside.
Social Connection—Love your friends and family. Research shows that social isolation is dangerous to your health—and that people who stay connected and have regular social interaction with friends and family maintain brain vitality. Share your concerns and grief; engage with others, and reach out to new friends. Remember your stories and share them with others! Memories are the connective tissue that make us and our relationships unique.
For more information about the groundbreaking work of the Women’s Alzheimer’s Movement, please visit:
www.thewomensalzheimersmovement.org
@thewomensalzheimersmovement
@womensalzmovement
@womensalz
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