Here One Moment

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

1. What are your thoughts on psychics and precognition experiences? Would you ever use a psychic’s services?

2. Analyze each character’s reactions to Cherry’s prediction. How would you react to knowing the exact date and circumstances surrounding your death? Would it change the way you live your daily life?

3. Discuss your beliefs surrounding fate and free will. Do you agree with the book’s suggestion that they are more intertwined than opposing forces?

4. How would you react to the situation on the plane? Have you ever had an uncanny or unexplainable experience?

Examine the book’s relevance to societal issues, historical events, or cultural themes.

1. Discuss the novel’s depiction of how modern society views death and dying. What critiques does it offer, and what changes do those critiques imply are necessary?

2. Consider social media play’s role in the proliferation of the “Death Lady” persona, the characters’ interactions, and the tension between perception and reality. What is the novel’s “message” about social media’s impact on daily life?

Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and symbolism.

1. Analyze how the novel’s narrative structure emphasizes the theme of human interconnectedness.

2. Discuss how each character reacts differently to Cherry’s prediction—e.g., superstition, obsessive control, etc.—and how it shapes their external and internal lives afterward. How does the prediction serve as a tool of characterization?

3. Review the novel’s three epigraphs. Discuss their relevance to the story, the characters, and the themes.

4. Analyze the novel’s depiction of grief and loss. What does the story say about the search for meaning in the face of mortality? How does this message intersect with the novel’s emphasis on the fleeting nature of time and the impermanence of life?

5. Trace the evolving symbolism of birthdays throughout the text.