Goodbye Days

The book’s title, Goodbye Days, is coined by Carver, the writer, but the idea of the “goodbye day” is introduced by Nana Betsy. Explain the significance of the title and of this phrase in general. What does the goodbye day signify in terms of achieving closure?

The book’s author is also a musician, and music and the arts play a major role throughout the book. Sauce Crew met at Nashville Arts Academy, and each member had some sort of creative talent. Why might the author choose to give each of the boys an artistic skill? Consider the impact of the art that each boy left behind (Blake’s YouTube channel, Mars’s graphic novel, Eli’s music or his childhood sand sculpture, etc.).

Family is a major theme throughout Goodbye Days, which argues that family is what you make of it. Carver may not have been an actual brother to the members of Sauce Crew, but he knew his friends better than their own parents did. With this idea in mind, examine the significance of those characters without birth parents (Blake, raised by his grandmother, and Jesmyn, adopted). What is the value of including these diverse family structures?

Text messages play an important role in the book. A single text message presumably results in the accident that motivates the entire story, for example, while text messages between Carver and Jesmyn are pivotal to their deepening relationship. These texts are set off visually with different fonts. Explore the significance of text messages in relation to Carver’s identity as a writer.

Carver’s self-identification as a writer is also emphasized when Dr. Mendez asks him to tell stories about the accident that remove Carver from the equation of causality completely. The story featuring Nissan engineer Hiro Takasagawa is especially compelling. Analyze the significance of this embedded narrative.

Carver’s sister, Georgia, has a small but significant role in the book. Her most noteworthy contribution to the narrative occurs when she connects Carver to Dr. Mendez. Examine Georgia’s role as a mental health advocate, not only for Carver but also for the reader.

The ripple effect is a central theme throughout the narrative. Again and again, different characters, from Carver to Mr. Bauer to Nana Betsy, are seen grappling with the idea that some small action on their part may have contributed to the accident. Ultimately, however, the book argues against causality. Examine this progression throughout the narrative. Develop your argument by citing relevant passages, tracing the development of the narrative’s argument against a belief in the ripple effect.

The book’s characters include a number of people of color, among them Jesmyn, Mars, and Dr. Mendez. Although race is not a major theme, it’s touched on throughout the narrative, for example when Jesmyn calls out Carver’s casual racism (casual racism is a subtle form of racism that often goes unnoticed). Judge Edwards crystallizes the book’s discussion on racism when he notes that if charges had been brought in the accident, Mars would have ended up being put on trial for his own death and, very likely, depicted as a “thug.” Why might the author choose to include this detail? What is the value of saving this important argument about race until the very end of the book, dropping it on Carver and the reader in an unexpected conclusion?