Surviving Savannah

Surviving Savannah is set in the antebellum South during the peak of slavery. How does that historical context inform the story and characters? How does Callahan write about slavery?

Surviving Savannah is based on historical events. How does the novel follow or depart from those events? What has been included? What has changed? And what, if anything, was excluded? How is your reading of the novel changed by knowing more about the historical events?

Lilly Forsyth’s chapters end before Augusta’s and Everly’s. How does this choice by Callahan inform the meaning of the novel? How did it affect your experience as a reader?

Compare and contrast Charles Longstreet with the historical figure Charles Lamar? What is gained by knowing the connection between the fictional character and the real person?

Fate and choice are major themes of Surviving Savannah. How are they explored by the protagonists and supporting characters? Do these characters share the same perspective on these topics?

Who is the protagonist of Surviving Savannah? Is it Everly, Lilly, or Augusta? Or do all three share that role? How does the novel’s divided focus affect the way the story is told? What would have been gained or lost by having a clearer protagonist?

Do you think the characters are reliable narrators? Why or why not? How do their perspectives influence the way events are relayed in the novel?

Everly’s grandfather says, “Some people didn’t die and some people lived” (322). What do his words mean, and how do they impact your understanding of the theme of grief and guilt?