This reading group guide for A Sudden Light includes an introduction, discussion questions, ideas for enhancing your book club, and a Q&A with author Garth Stein . 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 When fourteen-year-old Trevor Riddell and his bankrupt father arrive at Riddell House on Puget Sound, Trevor knows little about his father''s family or the history of the spectacular, decaying mansion. He knows only that his parents have separated and they must convince his grandfather to allow them to sell the house if there is to be any chance of reuniting his parents. But he soon learns that the Riddell family secrets are as numerous as the house''s secret rooms, and that there is something--or someone--in the house with an agenda counter to his father''s. It becomes clear to Trevor that generations of Riddells are in in need of redemption before the family can be lifted from its collective guilt. Trevor may be the only one who can save them and, in turn, save himself from this oppressive cycle.

Topics & Questions for Discussion 1. The novel is narrated by Trevor as an adult looking back on his time at Riddell House. How does his adult point of view shape the narrative? Why do you think the author chose to frame the novel this way? How would it have been different if the story were told from Jones''s perspective? 2. Jones tells Trevor that they are going to Riddell House so they can convince Samuel to sell it. What other reasons does Jones have for returning? What does he really hope will come of their visit? 3. What sort of woman is Serena? Why do you think she never left Riddell House? In what ways does she control the family narrative? What are some of her redemptive qualities? 4. Grandpa Samuel talks about what his wife, Isobel, knew: "If you feel you don''t have enough, you hold on to things. But if you feel you have enough, you let go of things.

" Do you agree? What does each character in the novel hold on to and how does it motivate their actions? Who is most willing to let go? 5. A Sudden Light features generations of men. Other than Serena, the women in the story play a relatively minor role yet often have a lasting impact. How did Isobel, Rachel, and Alice influence the men in their lives? 6. Consider the theme of redemption in the novel. What drives Elijah''s and Benjamin''s wish to return The North Estate to its original wild forest? What do they have to atone for? Will returning the land to wilderness redeem them? 7. Why was Benjamin so conflicted during his lifetime? Is his internal conflict a result of his upbringing or education or sexuality? How much of it is a product of the place and time in which he lived? 8. What is the significance of the carving of a hand holding a globe that Harry made for Riddell House? What does the carving symbolize to Benjamin, Isobel, Samuel, Jones, and Trevor? 9.

The "eternal groaning" is one of the characteristics of Riddell House. How are Riddell House and The North Estate used as characters in the novel? 10. The beauty and power of nature deeply move Benjamin and Trevor. What do they experience while climbing the great tree near Riddell House? How is Trevor transformed by the climb? Have you felt something similar in nature? 11. Trevor tells Dickie that he chooses truth over loyalty. Do you think seeking answers makes Trevor disloyal to his family? When Trevor reveals what he has learned to his father, what happens? 12. How does the author''s portrayal of ghosts and spirits differ from other ghost stories you''ve read? Did the distinction of ghosts versus spirits make sense to you? Why were Trevor and Samuel the only ones who could see the ghosts? 13. In what way was Jones''s death an act of love? How was it a promise he had to fulfill? 14.

Elijah Riddell wrote: "no man is beyond redemption as long as he acts in redeemable ways" and Ben wrote: "It is not prayer, but in deeds that we find absolution." What burdens have Elijah, Ben, Samuel, Jones, Serena, and Trevor each carried? Was each a permanent obstacle to success in life? Were the characters able to change their fates? 15. What does "faith" mean in the context of this novel? Are faith and belief the same thing? How would you answer the question: "How do we reconcile the differences between what we see and what we know?" Enhance Your Book Club 1. The writings of John Muir play a key part in A Sudden Light . Research John Muir''s life and read some of his works. Discuss the influence Muir had on Benjamin and on this novel. 2. Choose an outdoor setting--such as a member''s backyard, a local park, or a restaurant patio--for your book club meeting in which to discuss A Sudden Light .

3. If there a mansion or estate in your area that is open to the public, consider touring it with your group and learning about the history of the house and those who built it. What would the land have looked like before it was developed? What impact did the house''s owner have on your local area? A Conversation with Garth Stein What inspired you to write A Sudden Light ? I originally wrote about these characters in my play, Brother Jones , which was produced in Los Angeles in 2005--its one and only production. The idea for the play came to me in a dream. Seriously. I had a dream about a house that was alive--haunted by the ghost of a dead ancestor--and communicated with its denizens through creaks and groans. I wrote the play over a hazy few months, working from 9:00 p.m.

to 2:00 a.m. while listening to a CD of R.E.M.''s Life''s Rich Pageant set on endless repeat. When I was writing the play, sometimes (usually after midnight) I felt like the characters were standing behind me, talking into my ear. I was afraid to turn around and look.

So the ideas of an old house, ancestral spirits, timber, and assisted suicide collided in my dream. And when that sort of thing happens, a writer has to start taking notes. How do the play and the novel differ? Theater is about the immediacy of drama--the now of drama. Whatever the baggage of the characters, it''s about the characters interacting on a stage in front of us, and it can be quite explosive and energetic and passionate. With novels, on the other hand, we have time to delve into the history of the drama--how we got to the now . My play was about a family that had grown dysfunctional over generations. Still, it was about the immediate family--the latest generation. When it was time for me to write a new novel, I wanted to revisit that family, but I wanted to really delve into their history and explore the previous generations.

So the novel A Sudden Light is much more expansive in terms of bringing the characters to life, as well as bringing the surroundings of The North Estate to life. What was your biggest challenge in writing this novel? My biggest challenge was finding the narrative voice. My story is so large in scope--five generations of a wealthy and influential timber family--it was difficult to find a way to tell the story without it becoming unwieldy. And that''s when Trevor came into the room and I realized that telling the history of the family through the eyes of the youngest member was a great way to unfold the drama. When I first started writing, I tried to tell the story from fourteen-year-old Trevor''s point of view, with the story unfolding as he discovered things in the house. It almost worked, but I found it difficult to have Trevor wade through volumes and volumes of journals and letters and documents. By adding the lens of Trevor as an adult recalling a summer from his childhood, I was able to create a perspective that a fourteen-year-old could not have had at the time. From Trevor''s adult perspective, he can point us to the specific diaries, journal entries, and letters we need to know to understand his story.

In other words, all stories have a narrative point of view--a narrative bias--as does mine. By choosing this narrative path, I was to tell the intimate story of a fourteen-year-old kid who was trying to figure out his place in the world, while also relating the epic story of the Riddell family. The novel has a significant historical component. How did you prepare to write about Elijah and Benjamin Riddell and the timber industry? I did quite a bit of reading about the Northwest and the timber industry. It''s a compact history, so I was able to grasp the broad sweeps of it pretty quickly. I absorbed another historical element a little more organically: I grew up down the hill from The Highlands, a wealthy enclave in North Seattle upon which I based The North Estate. When I was a kid, my father drove our family by the Seattle Golf Club all the time. And I spent my summer days walking the railroad tracks or playing at Boeing Creek, the northern border of The Highlands.

The old Boeing mansion loomed over us, perched high on the bluff. I also did some field research for A Sudden Light --I climbed trees with the help of climbing guru Tim Kovar. Tim uses a minimally invasive rope te.