FOR BOOK CLUBS

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The Wayward Moon is a book that offers many opportunities for discussion about gender, religion, and self-discovery. Here are some suggestions for reflection and discussion:

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1) The author has said that she deliberately created a heroine who is neither unique nor exceptional.  Was this, in your opinion, a successful choice?  Why?

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2) At the beginning of the novel Rahel wants nothing more than to marry, and it is this wish that gives her hope of returning to a “normal” life.  In light of this, why does she refuse the first two opportunities for marriage that arise? 

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3) While being held as a slave at the Al-Harazi home, Rahel makes no attempt to escape for many months.  What was it that finally enabled her to leave?

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4) What does this story suggest about the place of women in organized religion?  In Judaism specifically?

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5) Some readers say they would have expected a different outcome for Rahel’s life.  How did you feel about the way the story ends?

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6) The Wayward Moon’s original title was Entelechia. Why do you think the author changed it?  Which of the two titles better describes the book?

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7) In the epilogue of the book, Rahel’s two sons argue over the fate their mother  wanted for her manuscript– for them to find and preserve her story, or for them to destroy it.  What are your thoughts on what Rahel would have wanted?  What does this conflict suggest about  issues of truth and memory?