Finding Heaven Book Club Discussion Guide

Book Club Discussion Questions for Finding Heaven

1. The narrative highlights the devastating cycle of abuse, moving from Sarah’s childhood trauma at the hands of her father and brother to the violence and emotional abuse she endures in her marriage with Craig. How did Sarah initially normalize Craig’s controlling and abusive behaviour, and what finally led her to realize she was an “idiot—a desperate, love-blind idiot” who needed to leave?

2. Sarah chose the pen name “Devon Sinclair”—her father’s name—for her successful but despised erotic writing. Considering her traumatic past, what significance did this name hold for her hidden identity? How did her success in a genre she referred to as “smut” and “filth” contribute to her feeling “dead inside” and unworthy of genuine happiness?

3. Sarah struggled immensely with her self-worth, believing that desire would only lead to hurt and that happiness was something only the “worthy deserved.” How do Steve, Joanna, and Pastor Eric attempt to shift her perception by emphasizing that she is a “pearl of great price”? What specific events in the story challenged Sarah’s belief that she was “damaged goods”?

4. Steve reveals that his birth mother was involved in pornography, a secret tied to his own brief struggles with the material, which led to painful rejection by his fiancée. How did this deeply personal history fuel his dedication to helping sexually exploited women and children through Love Mumbai?

5. Joanna models the radical idea that forgiveness is necessary “not for his sake... but because I [needed to do it].” How does the art of Kintsugi—repairing broken pottery with precious metals so that the breakage is revealed and not disguised—serve as a metaphor for Sarah’s physical and emotional healing process?

6. Ellen Sinclair actively maintained a determined denial regarding the abuse Sarah suffered, prioritizing her perceived reality and refusing to admit the truth. Do you think Sarah’s plan to reveal the truth through the details in her manuscript, forcing Ellen and Everett to confront reality, was justified or unnecessarily cruel, especially given Ellen’s eventual confession of her own depression and denial?

7. Sarah initially attempts to be a “Lone Ranger”, but her eventual healing relied heavily on community support. Discuss the pivotal role of supportive figures like Joanna, Abby, Kathy, and Pastor Eric in Sarah’s life. Why was accepting help from these “Tontos” so difficult for someone whose lifelong strategy was relying solely on herself?

8. Steve and the resources he provides highlight that telling one’s story is crucial for healing. How does Sarah engage in this therapeutic process—both consciously and unconsciously—through her career (writing Her Father’s Daughter) and joining the CSA support group?

9. Sarah’s move from atheism to faith is characterized by questioning why a loving God would allow suffering, such as Sita’s scarring or Nelson’s accident. How do Steve and Pastor Eric address the paradox of free will and suffering, arguing that God’s ultimate role is not preventing pain but redeeming the brokenness?

10. The truth of Steve’s heterosexual orientation, which Sarah discovers only after weeks of friendship, completely disrupts her strategy of keeping him “safe” and platonic. How did Sarah’s fears about repeating past betrayals threaten to sabotage her relationship with the one man who had consistently shown her unconditional love and respect?