The Castaways
Book Club Picks

Book Club Picks: The Castaways

This is the story of four couples that live on Nantucket Island. They are the best of friends and would do anything for each other. This story starts when one of these couples has a tragic and deadly boating accident. The question is: was it really an accident?

The stories about each of the people that make up the Castaways (the name they gave themselves) will hold you captive. What will happen to each person that makes up these couples? Will the burdens that weigh deep on their hearts and minds be revealed? How deep is their grief?

Greg and Tess left behind twins that need to be raised. Is there one particular couple that would be better at this task than another couple? Will they all come together to raise them or will this tear the group apart?

This story is packed with love, romance, mystery, betrayal, and questions that make you wonder to yourself: If you were a part of this group, what would you do?

Book Club Picks: The Castaways Opinion

Elin Hilderbrand has done it again! She has transported the reader to Nantucket Island and has made us one of its' residents. The characters and their trials and tribulations were described so well, I felt like I was there at the farm office, or the Begonia, or on the beach with each of them.

The tragic accident is the main focus of this story and the back story of the relationships between the friends is an interesting, depth-adding layer. Not everything is as it seems on the surface and as the stories unfold, their true selves shine through. Subtle mysteries tangle their way into the lives of these friends and by the end of the novel all stories tie themselves together.

I truly recommend this novel as a book club pick. The issues of betrayal will provide for interesting topics of discussion. The stages of grief are represented in extreme ways and comparisons to personal stories can provide hours of conversation.

Book Club Picks: The Castaways Discussion Questions

1. With which of the characters grief can you identify?
2. Have you ever run away from home? Why? Where did you go?
3. The saying "If you love something set it free, if it comes back to you it is yours, if it doesn't it was never meant to be" is a popular one. Do you believe it?

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