Windows of the Heavens

Book Club Questions

1. What was your experience of Windows of the Heavens? Did the story grab you immediately, or did it take a while to hook you? At what point in the book were you the most engaged? What feelings did it evoke: Fear, sympathy, compassion, anger, frustration, anxiety, curiosity, hope, or something else? What three words would you use to describe the book?

2. Which character seemed the most real to you: Harley Camden, Tim Underwood, Tawnya Jones, John Jonas, Kelly Westbrook, Sarah Bayati, Bill Stanford, Leah Silverman, Juan Erazo, Mary Ranger, Jefferson Jones, or another character? Describe their personalities and their motivations. Do their actions make sense, and are they justified? Why or why not?

3. How do the main characters grow and change over the course of the book? What do they learn about themselves and the world around them? How did the characters affect each other? Where did you see similarities between the characters and real people you know?

4. How would you describe the plot? Was it driven more by events or by the interaction between characters? How would you describe the pace of the book? Were you surprised by its twists and turns, or was it predictable? Did the book end the way you expected? Was it satisfying? If not, how would you change it?

5. Describe the book’s structure. Does the story move forward chronologically, or does it jump around in time? Are the dream sequences helpful to the plot, or not? Where did the book make connections between modern Occoquan and ancient Copán?

6. What main ideas does Henry Brinton explore, and how does the title Windows of the Heavens connect to these ideas? How are religious images and spiritual understandings used in the book?

7. Where did you see the characters trying to keep body and soul together? How does exercise play a role in this? What did you learn about Christian and non-Christian views of the body? How did you find yourself challenged, physically or spiritually?

8. What passage moved you or struck you as profound, if any? Where did you find a section of dialogue that was amusing or touching? Was there a section that captured the book’s main idea in a particularly effective way?

9. What did you already know about the book’s subject before you read Windows of the Heavens? Did the story reflect what you already knew, or did it broaden your perspective? What did the book teach you about climate change, storm water dangers, or the challenge of caring for the environment? How did it expand your understanding of Mayan history or Central American gangs, if at all?

10. What, if anything, set this book apart from other small-town murder mysteries? How did it compare to others you have read? Would you recommend this book to other readers? Why or why not?

11. What were you still wondering about at the end of the book? If you could ask Henry Brinton a single question, what would it be?