Is the rapture religious in nature in The Leftovers? Do any of the main characters believe it to be truly religious? What does the characters’ view of themselves as the event’s leftovers reveal about them?

Why do you think the Guilty Remnant leadership desired to create martyrs for its cause? What purpose could this serve for their movement? How does this fit the post-rapture context of the novel?

Discuss the forms of embodiment that grief takes in The Leftovers.