Book Club Night Kit

Wait for Me

Amy Jo Burns

Cozy night

Amy Jo Burns writes Appalachia with a lyric, aching tenderness, following a family held together by music, mountain weather, and the things nobody says out loud. It is a short, gorgeously written novel that invites readers to sit close and talk softly.

Come Sit Close: A Cozy Night with Wait for Me

Beans and cornbread, cider on the stove, and Amy Jo Burns's tender Appalachian novel to talk about. Bring your softest socks and the sentence you underlined.

Reading level: Moderate

Best for: A club that loves beautiful sentences, slow-burn family stories, and reading aloud to each other on the couch

Discussion

Warm-up

1.Before we get into it: where did you do most of your reading of this one, and did you find yourself wanting a blanket and something warm while you read?
2.Was there a sentence or an image early on that made you slow down and reread it? Share it, no analysis required, just the one that stuck to you.

Digging in

1.This is a book about a place that holds onto people. Was there a moment where the mountain setting felt comforting to you, and a moment where it felt a little lonely?
2.Burns writes families who love each other mostly in actions rather than words. Who in your own life loves you that way, and did reading this make you feel seen or a little wistful?
3.Music runs through this story like warmth through a house. What song or sound carries that same feeling of home for you?
4.There is so much longing in these pages. Did the book leave you feeling tender, restless, held, or something harder to name? Say the feeling out loud, even if it is messy.

Going deep

1.By the last stretch of the book, did you feel the characters had been given something like grace? Describe how you felt closing the book rather than what happened in it.
2.Burns seems interested in what we inherit without choosing it, for better and worse. Looking back across the whole novel, what did this story stir up about your own inheritance, and were you glad to have it stirred?

On the table & to sip

To eat

Skillet cornbread with honey butter

The most Appalachian comfort there is, baked in a cast iron pan and served warm so the butter melts in. Easy to make ahead and reheat.

Big pot of brown beans with pickled onions

A mountain supper staple, humble and filling, and it simmers itself while you set up the room.

Apple stack cake or a simple apple crisp

An Appalachian heirloom dessert, spiced and homey, and the crisp version is a shortcut that still smells like somebody's grandmother's kitchen.

To sip

Hot spiced cider with a cinnamon stick (no alcohol)

Nonalcoholic, served in mugs so everyone has something to hold while they talk. Set the pot on low and let people refill themselves.

Bourbon in a jar with a splash of cider

A nod to the hills and to front-porch sipping, kept simple and generous rather than fussy.

Sorghum or honey sweetened hot tea (no alcohol)

Gentle, warming, and quietly regional. Good for the second hour when the conversation gets soft.