1. In the novel, Ava’s comfortable life suddenly spins out of control. How have you experienced such times, and what did it feel like?
2. Though Ava built a new life separate from her past, she reaches a time when the past returned to her. If there are painful places from your past that continue to bubble to the surface, do you think God is trying to heal you or something else?
3. When bad things happen, do you tend to blame God or draw closer to Him? How does your reaction affect you and the people in your life?
4. Does every person experience brokenness of some kind at some point in his or her life journey? Why or why not?
5. In the novel, Ava constantly tried to “keep all her ducks in a row.” Do you think a person can try controlling too much of their life and of their families? Too little? What is the balance between making life our own and living in faith?
6. Do you think the church should do more to care for the brokenhearted? What can they do to provide such care?
7. Ava had learned through her ministry that when people are hurting, there are times to talk and times to be silent, times to quietly help in the background and times to step up and actively contribute. Discuss times that you experienced this or when someone hurt you because of their good intended words and actions.
8. Though God can heal our lives, why can’t we fully outrun the past?
9. Do you believe God is the source of suffering in the world?
10. Can God heal every broken heart?
11. Do you think God is ever brokenhearted?
12. How can God transform our broken hearts into something of beauty?
13. Write down five ways God has helped bring healing to your life (directly, through surprising circumstances, or from other people in your life).
14. How has God shocked you by opening a door that you never expected?