A Map of the World by Jane Hamilton

This novel opens with unbearable tragedy. Farm wife Alice Goodwin looks away for a few moments and a little girl drowns in a pond. And that’s just the first bad thing. Once that boundary between Alice’s safe life and unthinkable tragedy has been breeched, her life spins out of control. The “map of the world” is an imaginary Arcadia that Alice creates to escape from depression, but it provides no protection from the witch hunt that targets her. Read this book to understand how we bear the unbearable.

--1001 Books for Every Mood

Readers Guide by C. D. White

Overview

Insult added to trauma piled upon tragedy, and yet there is hope. First published in 1994, A Map of the World follows the journey of a counterculture couple, Alice and Howard Goodwin, through a devastating and life-altering year of their marriage.

Existence on Howard's beloved 400-acre dairy farm in rural Wisconsin is insular enough, but the Goodwins are also shut out by the mistrust and misunderstanding of the small community around them. Except, that is, for Dan and Theresa, a couple with whom they have developed a comfortable friendship.

The book begins during a typically-hectic morning at home. Emma, one of the two Goodwin daughters, is having a tantrum at breakfast. In the midst of this, Theresa stops by to leave her own two daughters with Alice for the morning and departs. Distracted by Emma's demands and the chance finding of her own childhood drawing of a peaceful world, Alice makes a fatal mistake that carries unbearable consequences for both families.

In the midst of dealing with one tragedy, and the loss of her only friendship, Alice is soon dogged by the added burden of unfounded accusations from the mother of a neglected boy she often deals with (and dislikes) in her part-time job as the local school nurse.

Told first through Alice's rich inner dialog, and then Howard's, the story traces an unrelenting path through unthinkable circumstances before it resolves in Alice's voice once again. In the end, almost everything has changed.

But be warned: the prose doesn't just dog Alice and Howard's footsteps; it deposits the reader straight into hearts and minds rubbed raw as the pen of Jane Hamilton dips deftly again and again into the inkpot of pain and remorse. Yet, despite all, she has drawn characters illuminated with determination and hope subtly visible in the calligraphy of chaos.

Discussion Questions

1. As the book begins, Alice seems to have a conflicted attitude toward her daughter, Emma. Did you find this realistic? Do you think she resolved it? If so, when.

2. Do you think real forgiveness was possible between Theresa and Alice? Between Alice and Mrs. MacKessy?

3. Would you have found the book more or less effective if it had not been an internal dialog? Why or why not?

4. If Howard was willing to sell the farm, do you think Alice had either underestimated his love for her or had overestimated the importance of the farm to him.

5. What basis is there in the book, if any, to show that Howard and Alice might have ended up together anyway if she had not gotten pregnant with Emma â€“ or is there evidence to show they were hopelessly mismatched.

6. What changes occurred in Alice during her incarceration? How did this play out after her release?

7. Was the loss of Theresa's friendship inevitable? How might this have been different?

8. Toward the end of the book, there appears to be a clue that Alice knew or had guessed about Theresa and Howard. What lines give you this impression?

9. If you've seen the movie production of this book, which raised more emotion in you? Why?

10. Discuss the impact Mrs. MacKessy's accusations may have had on Robbie and the other children and adults involved in the court hearing. Do you believe this scenario could happen in your town or would people be more reasonable? Think twice.

About the Author

Jane Hamilton (b. 13 July 1957) is an American novelist living in Wisconsin. Her first published works were the short stories, "My Own Earth" and "Aunt Marj's Happy Ending", published in1983. "Aunt Marj's Happy Ending" later appeared in The Best American Short Stories 1984.

These were published while she was still a student at Carleton College. There, she happened to overhear a professor say she would go on to write a novel. She credits this singular comment with giving her the confidence to tackle a longer work. In a 2006 interview with the Journal Times in Racine, Wis., Hamilton recalled, "It had a lot more potency, the fact that I overheard it, rather than his telling me directly."

Her first novel, The Book of Ruth, published in 1988, won several prestigious awards and was an Oprah's Book Club selection in 1996. The novel was also the basis for a 2004 television film of the same title.

A Map of the World, her second novel (1994), was actually the first to be adapted for a film (1999). The novel was also an Oprah's Book Club selection and a national best seller.

Hamilton continues to write mesmerizing, award-gathering novels; and in 2000 was named a Notable Wisconsin Author by the Wisconsin Library Association. All of her books are set, at least in part, in Wisconsin.

If You Liked This...

You will, of course, enjoy Jane Hamilton's other books, including:

The Book of Ruth
When Madeleine Was Young
Disobedience

Although it's hard to match Hamilton's writing style, you might also like:

Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
Stealing Athena by Karen Essex
Drowning Ruth and So Long at the Fair by Christina Schwarz
Sweet Mandarin by Helen Tse
Ice Child by Elizabeth McGregor
Books by Barbara Kingsolver, Rosamunde Pilcher and Maeve Binchy

C. D. White

C. D. (Cheri) White is a former journalist, currently making a living as a freelance writer publishing in various media. She is working on her first novel.