Introduction

Every marriage has three stories: the husband’s, the wife’s—and the one they create together.

Everyone who knows Kyra and David Winter considers them over-protective parents, but the Winters have good reasons for fearing the worst. When the best thing about their lives—their beloved son, Michael— disappears from his own backyard one perfectly average summer day, the question is, whose past has finally caught up with them?

In the search for young Michael, Kyra and David will be forced to reveal secrets about themselves they’ve always kept hidden, but they will also discover that it’s not too late to have the sort of family they’ve always dreamed of. Lyrical and wise, Lisa Tucker’s enchanting, life-affirming novel will surprise readers and leave them full of wonder at the stubborn strength of the human heart.

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Discussion Questions

The novel opens with Michael in his bedroom counting on his fingers the things of which he is certain. He counts twenty certainties each night, which is a small number compared to his list of doubts, “the future was always the biggest doubt of all.” (p. 3) Could this opening scene be said to foreshadow the kidnapping? Do you think Michael has some kind of sense of what might be in store for him? Do his parents? What does this scene tell us about the Winter family?

Discuss Amy and Kyra’s relationship as children and as young adults. Do the two sisters have a typical relationship? Why or why not? Revisit the scene on page 20 when their mother leaves them. How does this event help shape the adults Amy and Kyra become?

Evaluate Sandra and Courtney’s relationship. Why do you think the two women remain close after the breakup of David and Courtney’s marriage? Do they need each other equally or is it an uneven relationship in terms of caring for and being cared for? Turn to Chapter 8 and discuss.

On page 103, Sandra says: “You never get over the ones you lose.” In light of this quote, think about the ways in which the characters in the story live with their grief over losing someone they love. Consider Sandra, David, Kyra, Courtney and Hannah in your response.

Michael’s disappearance acts as the catalyst for David and Kyra to finally share their pasts with each other. During the course of the day, Kyra asks David: “Do we really know each other? Do you think I know you?” (p. 167) Do you feel that Kyra and David know each other well? Can anyone ever fully know another person? Why or why not?

Discuss the symbolism in the title. How are the Winters “in bloom”? In what ways had something both changed and not changed—as Michael says in the last line of the novel? Do you think the Winters will start to include Courtney and Hannah in their life with Michael?

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