Come from Away Genevieve Graham Reading Group Guide This reading group guide for Come from Away includes an introduction, discussion questions, and ideas for enhancing your book club. The suggested questions are intended to help your reading group find new and interesting angles and topics for your discussion. We hope that these ideas will enrich your conversation and increase your enjoyment of the book. Introduction In the fall of 1939, Grace Baker''s three brothers, sharp and proud in their uniforms, board Canadian ships headed for a faraway war. Grace stays behind, tending to the homefront and the general store that helps keep her small Nova Scotian community running. The war, everyone says, will be over before it starts. But three years later, the fighting rages on and rumours swirl about "wolf packs" of German U-Boats lurking in the deep waters along the shores of East Jeddore, a stone''s throw from Grace''s window. As the harsh realities of war come closer to home, Grace buries herself in her work at the store.
Then, one day, a handsome stranger ventures into the store. He claims to be a trapper come from away, and as Grace gets to know him, she becomes enamoured by his gentle smile and thoughtful ways. But after several weeks, she discovers that Rudi, her mysterious visitor, is not the lonely outsider he appears to be. He is someone else entirely--someone not to be trusted. When a shocking truth about her family forces Grace to question everything she has so strongly believed, she realizes that she and Rudi have more in common than she had thought. And if Grace is to have a chance at love, she must not only choose a side, but take a stand. Topics & Questions for Discussion 1. In the mid-1930s, memories of the First World War and the devastating Halifax Explosion were not far from the hearts and minds of Nova Scotians like Danny and Au drey Baker.
How does their past experience influence their reaction to each of their sons'' enlisting? 2. Grace worries that she''s not contributing enough to the war effort, but her father reassures her that everything she does helps in some way. What are some examples of how Grace contributes, indirectly or otherwise? 3. Grace describes herself as wearing a mask around those she loves. Do you think this pressure to be cheerful and happy all the time comes from others or from herself? 4. In the novel we learn that German U-boats were patrolling Canada''s eastern shores during the Second World War. Did you know this before reading Come from Away ? Did it change your understanding of the lives of those on the home front? 5. If you were in Grace''s place, would you have turned Rudi in to the police? Would you have hidden him? Or would you have done something else entirely? 6.
After Rudi''s U-boat is bombed, his sole focus is surviving, but when he is discovered to be German, he is immediately distrusted. How does Rudi try and prove himself to the Bakers? Do you think his actions are sincere, a necessity of survival, or both? Why or why not? 7. How do Danny''s and Audrey''s First World War experiences colour how they treat Rudi? 8. The author uses various flashbacks to tell us about Rudi''s past. What was the effect of this throughout the novel? Did it change your opinion of who Rudi was when you learned about his childhood growing up in prewar Germany? 9. Rudi''s parents caution him to question what he''s been taught under the Third Reich, which was a dangerous idea to express at the time. On the surface, his parents seemed like model Germans. Why do you think they took this risk? What does their decision tell you about the German people during the Second World War? 10.
The news plays a central role in the novel, and there are many references to German and Canadian news stories, rumours, and even propaganda. Name a few and discuss how they affect each character differently, particularly Grace, Rudi, Linda, and Tommy. 11. Grace and Rudi are on the opposite sides of a war they never wanted to be a part of. How does meeting Rudi change Grace''s understanding of the other side and vice versa? Can you come up with some examples? 12. With Grace and Rudi, the author explores the line between doing one''s duty and doing what is right. In what ways do Grace and Rudi struggle with this choice? Do you think one is more important than the other? Why or why not? 13. In Tides of Honour , the author describes the effects of PTSD, or shell shock as it was called then, on Danny, and she picks up that thread again in Come from Away with Harry, Eugene, Norman, and even Rudi.
How does each man''s PTSD affect him throughout the novel? 14. When Norman reveals that he deserted the Canadian army, the Bakers see Rudi''s predicament in a new light. Did Norman''s revelation have the same effect on you? Why or why not? 15. Both Norman and Rudi feel they need to take the identity of a dead man in order to survive. How does either scenario work out for them? What do you think this says about the nature of war? 16. Before reading this novel, had you heard of the phrase "come from away"? Has the novel changed your under- standing of the saying? Enhance Your Book Club 1. Have you read Tides of Honour ? If not, consider reading the novel as part of your book club and discover how Danny and Audrey Baker survived the First World War and the Halifax Explosion of 1917, and became the parents of Harry, Eugene, Norman, and Grace in Come from Away . 2.
In the note to the reader, the author references the Battle of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, during which, between 1942 and 1944, German U-boats penetrated Canada''s coast and came within 300 kilometres of Quebec City. Veterans Affairs Canada has published a short book on the bat- tle that includes black-and-white photographs of ships as well as news headlines of the day. Read more about the battle here: http://www.veterans.gc.ca/public/pages/re membrance/history/second-world-war/battle-gulf-st-law rence/battlegulf_eng.pdf.
3. For a broader overview of the Allied fight against the wolf packs of German U-boats, go to the American Battle Monuments Commission website and use its free online interactive to learn about the Battle of the Atlantic: https://www.abmc.gov/sites/default/files/interactive/in teractive_files/BOTA_Web/index.html. A Conversation with Genevieve Graham Q: Come from Away is your third historical romance set in Canada and follows up with the Baker family from your bestselling book Tides of Honour . What inspired you to write about these characters again? A: To me, the hardest part of every book is finishing it and sending it away for the final stages of publishing. "The end" is like a farewell to my characters, and it feels like I''m saying goodbye to very close friends.
The process of writing historical fiction like this is multilayered, but that doesn''t change the fact that I become very attached to my characters. And Danny, well, I truly love Danny. After publication, a lot of readers wrote asking what happened to the Bakers after Tides of Honour , and I started wondering that myself. What was it like in this neck of the woods when the next world war began? How did the people live, and how did they cope with everything that was going on? Of course, by then the Baker children would be old enough to be a part of that, and suddenly I needed to know all about the different branches of the military, how they worked, where they went, what they did . At the same time, today''s world was dealing with a huge refugee crisis. Foreigners were arriving on our shores by the thousands, driven from their own countries by terrorism. But whom could we trust? Could some be an actual part of that threat, using the crowds as a shield? The Western world polarized over the refugee crisis, and friendly conversations became antagonistic. During the Second World War, Adolf Hitler and the Nazis were the epitome of terrorists, unanimously and deservedly hated around the world.
What if one of Them was suddenly alone in the midst of all of Us? How would everyone react? It was an interesting idea, considering the varied personalities in the Baker family. How would Danny react? Would his past experience be tempered by his honourable character? How would Audrey and the rest of the family face this new challenge? I could hardly wait to get to know them again. Q: The premise of Come from Away centres on a local legend that U-boat sailors attended a Christmas dance in 1942. Where did you first hear this story, and what did you think? A: When I was first doing research for Tides of Honour , I drove up to visit the always welcoming volunteer ladies at our Eastern Shore Archives, about twenty minutes from my house. Actually, it took a little longer that day, I recall, because it was about minus twenty-seven degrees and the road was covered in crunchy snow intent on grabbing my car tires. Their little building is in Memory Lane, our area''s historical village, which happens to specialize in the 1940s. So when I started to plan a book set in the early forties, I knew that''s where I would have to start. Since they''d been so helpful the first time, I asked the ladies what they remembered hearing about the Eastern Shore during the Second World War, and as usual they were full of stories from friends and relatives over the years.
When the subject of U-boats came up, I was intrigued and asked to hear more. Then one of the ladies ask.