To Paul Fisher, Allison Carter, Kristen Golden, Jodi Hughes, Kayleigh Hinds, Becky Monds, and Laura Wheeler—you are the dream team. To TJ Rathbun and Ben Greenhoe, who filmed and produced our videos—you somehow saw the same vision as I did when it came to telling Joy’s story. I am immeasurably grateful, and working with you was one of the best days of this publishing journey. And to L. B. Norton, the copy editor extraordinaire—your eye, your spirit, your generosity and humor made this editing experience more than I could have ever hoped for.
To my team who loves Joy with the same passion—I am grateful to each and every one of you. To Jim Chaffee of Chaffee Managament, who appeared in the most synchronistic and powerful way at just the right time. How happy I am to have you on our team: your insight and energy are boundless. To Meg Walker at Tandem Literary—your calm spirit and innovative creativity are stunning. To Meg Reggie, as always, from my very first novel, you are a gem and a creative genius. To Carol Fitzgerald and her team at Bookreporter, who helped me build a website I adore （and I am sure Joy would love also）。
To my friends, who allowed me to talk about this subject endlessly and still hang out with me. I love you—Tara Mahoney for her humor and belief, Kate Phillips for her unwavering confidence, Barbara Cooney for sitting with me through the tough parts, Sandee O for bringing me back to center always when I need it most, and Cleo O’Neal for walking and talking when I needed to ground myself again.
To Douglas Gresham （Joy’s son）—I am profoundly indebted to you and grateful. Your insight and kindness to a complete stranger who wrote about your brilliant mother was stunning. I am honored to now call you friend. Thank you, Douglas. Thank you. Your legacy holds true to the integrity and kindness of both Jack and your mother.
And my family. When I first told my parents of this idea, they were as supportive of me as always, and yet a sparkle came to their eyes. They knew what Lewis had meant to all of us. I found my first C. S. Lewis book—The Screwtape Letters—in my dad’s office at home. I hope I’ve done them proud here. To my sisters, Jeannie Cunnion and Barbi Burris, and their extraordinary families who support me no matter my eccentricities. To my sisters-in-law, Serena Henry and Anna Henry, who heard so much about Joy and still listened and still asked and anchored me to family when I needed it. To Pat Henry, for tolerating my distant stares and forgotten dinners and early-morning huddles in my office—thank you and I love you. To my children, my love for you is beyond measure and as I wrote every word of this novel I thought of you and your wild and beautiful lives unfolding in their new ways, as always, Meagan and Evan Rock, Thomas and Rusk.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. Did you know much about Joy Davidman before you read this novel? Did you come with preconceived notions of who she was? How did those change during the novel? What was the most surprising part of this story for you?
2. Joy wrote to Jack in search of answers on her spiritual journey. Was she looking for a friend? Advice? Both? What kept them writing to each other for so many years without meeting face-to-face?
3. Not many people supported Joy’s choices to first travel to England and then move there. There also didn’t seem to be much support from Jack’s friends as their friendship and then love story bloomed. How did Joy find the strength to overcome the resistance? How did they survive this disapproval to come together? What were the strengths that allowed them to resist the naysayers?
4. How did the time and place—1950s England when women weren’t even admitted to Magdalen College where Jack taught—affect their love story? Would it be different today? How would this story be different today?
5. Joy often thought about her past—both her love affairs and her family life. How did the past influence her personality and decisions? How did it affect her self-esteem and self-love? How did she come out on the other side?
6. Joy and Jack enjoyed an almost three-year pen-friendship before ever meeting. Can friendships begin with words and notes? Can one become friends through letters alone? Can we be more vulnerable on paper than in face-to-face contact?
7. Joy wept when she left Davy and Douglas to board the SS United States the first time. Have you ever had to make a tough choice to “save your own life” or do what you thought might be the right thing for yourself but caused pain for yourself and others?
8. Many of Jack’s last books, most notably Till We Have Faces, were shaped by his friendship and love with Joy. Can you see her life and influence in his works written after 1950? If so, which ones and how? How did their co-writing, editing, and long talks affect his work?