Reading Group Guide and Resources

for

An Illuminated Life

A Note from the Author

Even before I attended seminary for an MA in Theology & Literature, I took several classes in religion and discovered a love for the Old Testament, which tells the history of Yahweh's chosen people, the Israelites. Beneath the oft-cited stories -- so many of which are regularly taken out of context these days to justify very un-Christian 21st century stances -- there is evidence of the many editors that shaped the Old Testament into the text that has been handed down to us.

Some of the editorial work in the Old Testament is fairly obvious. The editors adapted stories already circulating in the region, like the Epic of Gilgamesh, and molded them to reflect the Israelites' movement from polytheism (a belief in many gods) to monotheism, the conviction that there is one all-knowing and all-powerful God.There are residual references to the elohim, the gods, that reflect the polytheistic beliefs that prevailed before monotheism.There are passages that have been preserved with slight variations that appear more than once. We have two creation stories in Genesis because each has a different emphasis and a different editorial purpose. The evidence of editorial effort is widespread.

Perhaps my interest in this aspect of the Old Testament is because this is work that I perform both for myself and for other writers. The goal of an editor is always the same: to convey the author's intended message in a way that will resonate with the reader. But as in the case of the biblical texts, how a reader understands a story evolves over time. The reader herself changes, her understanding shaped by both external events and internal development, and so does the world around her. The time at which we hear, or read, or experience a story or event affects what we make of it.

Context matters. This is true of the Bible, and it's true of the stories we tell ourselves and others. Had Porter explained his uncharacteristic silence when he and Beth were engaged, and allayed her fears that he was being unfaithful, perhaps their relationship would have survived. If Crawford had grown up in a different environment, perhaps he would have felt free to live openly as a gay man, as Hugh does. If Beth had run into Porter prior to Mia's accident, I suspect she would have relegated the encounter to a coincidence, and would not have allowed it to change the trajectory of her life.

Our lives are layers of stories that we are continually revising, revisiting, and reevaluating. In telling Beth's story, I wanted to explore how these stories -- and our personal editorial efforts -- shape us. As David writes to Beth, "...nothing in your life is without meaning, but it's up to you to decide what that meaning will be." My assertion is that the meaning we make morphs and evolves over time...which may explain why, when we are faced with difficulties, a familiar, beloved, dog-eared book can be as comforting as an old friend: it's a story we already know.

Corey Stewart

The Hague, The Netherlands

January 2023

Reading Group Questions

1. What does the story about the teddy bear in Chapter 1 tell us about Porter Haven's character? How do you see those characteristics play out in the book? 

2. At the end of Chapter 5, Beth says grief is an unreliable narrator. What does she mean by this? What form does grief take for Beth and how does it influence her decisions? 

3. In Chapter 9, Beth says that in Assisi, the past is always just below the surface, waiting to erupt. How does the book's setting in the Italian countryside influence the story? How does it relate to Beth's inner conflict? 

4. What is the significance of the olive trees in Chapter 8? Do you agree with the lesson Marco takes from the trees about how to live? How does that lesson play out in Marco's life? In Beth's? 

5. In Chapter 18, Beth offers a theory about Marco's home life. What does Marco represent for Beth? Do you think she is right about why he stays? 

6. In Chapter 15, Porter tells Beth a story about Delia. What role did Delia play in Porter's life? Is there someone in Beth's life who played a similar role? In your life? 

7. Beth's uncle David believes there are larger forces at work in the universe than just chance and happenstance. He also believes that some form of tragedy -- what he calls The Chaos -- will touch everyone's life at some point. Do you think David is right? 

8. Beth is working on an article about the evolution of the church of Saint Mary over Minerva throughout the novel. What is the significance of the history of this church? Do you agree with Beth's conclusion that everything in life is what you make of it? 

 9. In Chapter 19, Jenny offers Beth some tough love that could seriously damage their friendship. What does Jenny represent for Beth? How does she influence Beth's decision at the end of the book? Have you ever had to do something similar for a friend? 

10. Sloan's existence has the potential to completely derail Porter and Beth's relationship. What characteristics of Sloan mitigate her impact on Porter and Beth's lives? What do you predict for the future of Sloan's relationship with Beth and Porter? 

11. Do you agree with Beth's decision at the end of the book? What factors prompted her to make that decision? Do you believe her inner conflict is resolved? 

12. What are your predictions for the future of the main characters -- Beth, Porter, Jenny -- as the novel comes to a close? 

Other Resources:

Download a copy of the Reading Guide here.

You can find out more about Bronnie Ware's work with hospice patients and her book, The Top Five Regrets of the Dying, here.

You can learn more about Admiral Jeremiah Denton's life here, and see a video of Denton blinking in Morse Code here.

Learn a bit about the remarkable life of Corrie ten Boom, author of The Hiding Place (as well as several other books), here.

A nice summary of Dr. Jerome Groopman's book, The Anatomy of Hope, can be found here.