Joy Comes in the Morning A Novel [Paperback]

Deborah Green is a woman of passionate contradictions--a rabbi who craves goodness and surety while wrestling with her own desires and with the sorrow and pain she sees around her. Her life changes when she visits the hospital room of Henry Friedman, an older man who has attempted suicide. His parents were murdered in the Holocaust when he was a child, and all his life he's struggled with difficult questions. Deborah's encounter with Henry and his family draws her into a world of tragedy, frailty, love, and, finally, hope.

Q U E S T I O N S F O R D I S C U S S I O N1. What do the novel's opening scenes reveal about Deborah's approach to
life, both in terms of the mundane and the magnificent? What joy does she
find that morning?
2. Does Henry perceive his suicide attempt as an act of resignation or heroism?
How does his understanding of the world compare to that of Helen and
their children?
3. As Deborah prepares to perform the marriage ceremony at Wave Hill,
with the sparkling Hudson River as a backdrop, the groom's grandfather asserts
that religion is foolish and irrational. What arguments can be made for
and against this notion? How do Deborah and Lev embody various aspects
of rational and irrational thought?
4. Is Lev the only character in the novel to rely on tranquilizers to soothe his
fears? What other sources of anxiety are presented in Joy Comes in the Morning,
and what coping strategies are presented?
5. What gives meaning to the ceremonies conducted by Deborah? Would you
characterize her approach as perfunctory or simply realistic? What are the
implications of Lev's limping through the funeral for Estelle Kalman's
mother? Should a rabbi be viewed simply as a teacher, or is there a more
essential role?
6. How would you characterize the sibling dynamics in each family? Do
Deborah and Lev share similar roles in terms of their accomplishments? Do
their siblings think of them as unlS"