When radical New York lawyer Joel Litvinoff is felled by a stroke, his wife, Audrey, uncovers a secret that forces her to reexamine everything she thought she knew about their forty-year marriage. Joel’s children will soon have to come to terms with this discovery themselves, but for the meantime, they are struggling with their own dilemmas and doubts.

Rosa, a disillusioned revolutionary, has found herself drawn into the world of Orthodox Judaism and is now being pressed to make a commitment to that religion. Karla, a devoted social worker hoping to adopt a child with her husband, is falling in love with the owner of a newspaper stand outside her office. Ne’er-do-well Lenny is living at home, approaching another relapse into heroin addiction.

In the course of battling their own demons—and one another—the Litvinoff clan is called upon to examine long-held articles of faith that have formed the basis of their lives together and their identities as individuals. In the end, all the family members will have to answer their own questions and decide what—if anything—they still believe in.

Hailed by the Sunday Times (London) as "one of the outstanding novels of the year," The Believers explores big ideas with a light touch, delivering a tragic, comic family story as unsparing as it is filled with compassion.

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2. In what ways does Audrey feel both more and less powerful in the aftermath of her husband's stroke? How does her behavior toward Joel's colleagues at the hospital compare to her behavior toward her children? 
3. How does Rosa feel about her involvement with the girls in East Harlem's Girl Power? To what extent is she an advocate for them? Does her awareness of race and class differences between her and the girls affect her professionalism? 
4. How does Karla and Mike's inability to conceive a child after several years of trying affect their marriage? What accounts for their disparate feelings about the possibility of adopting a child? 
5. Why is Karla open to a friendship with Khaled after he insults her by asking directly about her dieting? To what extent does Khaled's indulgent, unselfconscious attitude toward food enhance his appeal in Karla's eyes? 
6. How serious is Rosa about becoming an observant Jew? What threatens the possibility of her complete conversion? 
7. What does Berenice Mason's desire to get to know the Litvinoffs suggest about the nature of her intentions? Which sister has better insight into Berenice's motives—Karla or Rosa? 
8. How does the backdrop of the 9/11 attacks on New York City color the fictional landscape of The Believers? To what extent do you perceive a generalized anxiety in the world inhabited by the characters of this novel? 
9. What role does Lenny's trip to Bucks County with Jean play in his development and rehabilitation? Why isn't Audrey more supportive of his transformation, and of Jean's role in it? 
10. What does the scene at the end of the novel suggest about Karla's future? Why do you think the author chose to close with this character, at this moment of her life? How did this closing scene affect your appreciation of The Believers?

This book is on these lists:

• January 2012 Indie Next List
• December 2011 Indie Next List
• November 2011 Indie Next List