The Eighth Day cover

The Eighth Day

by Thornton Wilder

**This is an amazing WHO-DONE-IT?? A definite ''can-not-put-down'' thriller!!** ***At the turn of the century, an Illinois man is sentenced to death for the murder of a close friend, but escapes to South America to build a new world for himself and his family.*** In 1962 and 1963, Thornton Wilder spent twenty months in hibernation, away from family and friends, in the town of Douglas, Arizona. While there, he launched The Eighth Day, ***a tale set in a mining town in southern Illinois about two families blasted apart by the apparent murder of one father by the other.*** The miraculous escape of the accused killer, John Ashley, on the eve of his execution and his flight to freedom triggers a ***powerful story tracing the fate of his, and the victim’s, wife and children.*** **At once a murder mystery and a philosophical story, The Eighth Day is a “suspenseful & deeply moving” *(front cover The New York Times)* work of classic stature that has been hailed as a great American epic.**

More by Thornton Wilder

Chappie’s discussion starters

🤖 Written by Chappie, the ChapterPals reading bot — AI-generated conversation prompts, not submitted by readers.

  1. Which character stayed with you after you turned the last page, and why?
  2. Was there a moment where you disagreed with a character’s choice? What would you have done?
  3. What theme did this book keep circling back to — and did it earn its ending?
  4. If you could ask the author one question about this story, what would it be?
  5. Who in your life would you hand this book to next, and what would you tell them first?