Please note that the following questions may contain spoilers to the plot. We recommend that you look at these questions only after you’ve finished the book.

1. The chapters of THE GOLDEN BOY open with quotes from Aristotle’s philosophical texts, as well as the Bible. How do these epigraphs set the tone for the chapters, and what effect did they have on you as a reader?

2. What were your first impressions of Stafford and Agnes in Maui? What seems to be the source of their discontent?

3. Stafford and Agnes separately deal with feelings of shame. What do they feel ashamed about, and how do these feelings affect their behavior and outlook?

4. Stafford harbors a complicated relationship with faith. What do you make of Stafford’s definitions of virtue? How would you describe his attachments to Catholicism and philosophy?

5. It’s after Stafford nearly drowns in the ocean that he finds the letter from the Shepherds. When reading the letter, he realizes that “had it arrived a month, a week, or even a single day earlier, his response would have been so different.” What changed? How do you think Stafford would have responded otherwise?

6. Why do you think Bobby is so shaken by Steven Truscott’s fate?

7. After Stafford finally reveals his secret, telling the church caretaker about Bobby’s death, he reflects that “the unburdening of his past had not set him free from it.” Do you believe this to be the case?

8. From the Maui ocean to the St. Lawrence River in Canada, what is the significance of water in the story?

9. What were your reactions to the email correspondence between Agnes and her daughter, Callie?

10. What did you think of the ending?

11. Did your view of Stafford and Agnes change over the course of the novel? Were there distinct moments --- whether in flashbacks or the present --- that made you see them in a different light?

12. What did you think of Stafford and Agnes’ marriage, and how did the events of the novel reshape their relationship?