The novel uses Teddy’s coma as a period of healing and restoration in many ways, not just for his medical condition. Examine the relationship between Jim and Sarah, the relationship between Camille and Teddy, Ethan’s difficult road to his confession. How are each in different periods of healing?

In his attempts to encourage his son to recover, Jim calls him a game changer, the player who can alter the direction a play is going and, in the end, help his team. Describe how Ethan Metzger is a game changer using examples from the text.

Trace the evolution of Sarah’s character in the novel. In the tender moments right before Teddy awakens, she asks for both her husband’s and her daughter’s forgiveness. How does her character change over the course of the novel?