ICE Breakers
10 MINUTES 38 SECONDS IN THIS STRANGE WORLD
BOOK OF THE MOMENT
Did you like Leila? Were you able to understand the choices she made?
How did this book make you feel about the power of friendship?
Turkey today still appears to be a patriarchal society – why do you think women can still be silenced in the modern world and how does this make you feel?
The second half of the book has a very different feel to the first - did you think this transition was successful and which did you enjoy the most and why?
Did the ending move you or did you feel Shafak tied up all the loose ends too quickly and made the story less powerful and believable?
Shafak beautifully captures the minutiae of every day life in Istanbul - would you agree and what are your favourite examples of this?
Elif Shafak felt it unsafe to return to Turkey for fear of arrest - do you think she is a credit to her country and could she have told this story differently?
SAL
MISSED OPPORTUNITY
Were you astonished at the maturity of Sal?
Did you find the story believable?
How do you think the book being written in the first-person narrator added to the story?
The language is real and visceral – did you find this a refreshing change?
How do you think society lets down children such as Sal and Peppa?
Mick Kitson was a teacher for many years. Do you think he is trying to make us aware of the shortcomings of society in allowing vulnerable children to go unchecked?
For those who have read 'Shuggie Bain' how do these stories compare?
ThE SEVEn deaths of Evelyn hardcasTLE
THE WILD CARD
The characters in Turton’s novel are never quite what they first seem? Who was your favourite and why did they resonate with you?
Did you enjoy the ‘ground hog day' device? How could this be done differently?
How realistic was Aidan’s ever changing ‘host’ experience? Were they credible?
Blackheath is set up like a Crystal Maze ‘escape room’ game as well as a prison. Were there any particular pieces or places within the ‘game’ that foxed you?
Were there any tactics Aiden didn’t think of that could have solved the mystery of who killed Evelyn? What would you have done differently?
How did you feel about the ending? Was it satisfactory? Are there any novels that you compare Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle with? Or films?
Are you looking forward to seeing the Netflix film (scheduled for release in 2021)?
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