Book Club Questions for The Greatest Possible Good by Ben Brooks

WellRead's August 2025 selection was The Greatest Possible Good by Ben Brooks. As the story unfolds over a decade, we see how the Candlewick family, with their power and their potential, decide how they’ll live their lives. The Greatest Possible Good raises questions about what we do with the hand we’ve been dealt and whether we have any control over the course of our own lives. 

Use these discussion questions to engage with the book further, whether in a book club with friends or just on your own as you digest the story. 

Reading questions for The Greatest Possible Good by Ben Brooks" 

• If Arthur hadn’t decided to give all of his money away, do you think there are any parts of the story that wouldn’t have happened, or were each of the Candlewicks destined to make their choices regardless?
  
  

• At the start of the novel, Yara seems to be the only level-headed one in the family, fixated on money, but also thinking of their future security. How does her character change?
  
  

• It’s a hard choice, but which of the Candlewicks frustrated you the most? Which of the family would you least like to be compared to?
  
  

• Do you think Arthur did the right thing by giving his money away? If you were him, what would you have done?
  
  

• Each of the Candlewick’s have their own ideas of what it means to ‘do good’. Which of them do you think did the best by their own measuring stick, and which of them do you think actually did the most good in the world? 

Please note, these questions were written and distributed in August 2025.