1. Did you know much about Joy Davidman before you read this novel? Did you come with preconceived notions of who she was? How did those change during the novel? What was the most surprising part of this story for you?
2. Joy wrote to Jack in search of answers on her spiritual journey. Was she looking for a friend? Advice? Both? What kept them writing to each other for so many years without meeting face-to-face?
3. Not many people supported Joy’s choices to first travel to England and then move there. There also didn’t seem to be much support from Jack’s friends as their friendship and then love story bloomed. How did Joy find the strength to overcome the resistance? How did they survive this disapproval to come together? What were the strengths that allowed them to resist the naysayers?
4. How did the time and place—1950s England when women weren’t even admitted to Magdalen College where Jack taught—affect their love story? Would it be different today? How would this story be different today?
5. Joy often thought about her past—both her love affairs and her family life. How did the past influence her personality and decisions? How did it affect her self-esteem and self-love? How did she come out on the other side?
6. Joy and Jack enjoyed an almost three-year pen-friendship before ever meeting. Can friendships begin with words and notes? Can one become friends through letters alone? Can we be more vulnerable on paper than in face-to-face contact?
7. Joy wept when she left Davy and Douglas to board the SS United States the first time. Have you ever had to make a tough choice to “save your own life” or do what you thought might be the right thing for yourself but caused pain for yourself and others?
8. Many of Jack’s last books, most notably Till We Have Faces, were shaped by his friendship and love with Joy. Can you see her life and influence in his works written after 1950? If so, which ones and how? How did their co-writing, editing, and long talks affect his work?
9. Jack’s descriptions of Joy included this sentence: “My pupil and my teacher. My subject and my sovereign. My trusty comrade, friend, ship mate, fellow soldier. My mistress. But at the same time all that any man friend has ever been to me.” How did Joy not only change Jack’s life but also his heart?