Reading Group Guide

The Time Keeper

The following list of questions about this book are intended as resources to aid individual readers and book groups who would like to learn more about the author and this novel. We hope that this guide will provide you a starting place for discussion, and suggest a variety of perspectives from which you might approach this book.

  1. Time is a major theme in this book. What importance does time hold for you, and for the current generation?
  2. Time is valuable, but it is also limited. What is one way to make the most of what we have?
  3. What one moment would you like to relive?
  4. Albom writes in short bursts and scenes are divided, which gives the book a unique cadence. What do you think was Albom’s intention here?
  5. Do you think God’s punishment of Dor was too harsh? Today, our lives are defined by time, and we often forget its significance. Was there a positive effect of Dor’s first attempt to measure time?
  6. Albom pulled together elements of myth and history to craft Dor’s narrative. Can you identify any parallel myths? For ex., in the story of King Nim and the tower.
  7. While in the cave, Dor makes symbols on the wall to remember key moments in his life. How do you mark the passing of time and stay connected to past times?
  8. Consider Sarah. Do you think Albom created a realistic portrayal of a teenage girl?
  9. When Sarah buys the watch for Ethan, Albom writes, “Sometimes, when you are not getting the love you want, giving makes you think you will.” Do you agree with that statement?
  10. Consider Victor’s parents. Did what happened to them affect Victor’s relationship with time and his fear of mortality? Did it affect his relationship with Grace?
  11. We have so many phrases to express the passage of time as either too fast, or too slow. Consider Sarah and Victor’s views of time, and how their profound suffering affects their view of time and how much time they have “left.”
  12. Discuss Albom’s depiction of the future visited in Victor’s journey. What has happened to humanity?
  13. In the book, time remained elusive even to Dor, the inventor of time. What are your thoughts on the nature of time?
  14. What is the biggest loss to men who are confined by time?
  15. What is your favorite line in the book, and why?
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