ICE Breakers
THE VANISHING HALF
BOOK OF THE MOMENT
To what extent do you think communities like Mallard exist today?
The identity of Mallard is defined by colour? Did this make you re-evaluate your own prejudices in your community?
To what extent did their families help or hinder the twin’s escape from their small town lives?
Did this story make you question your own family prejudices?
How much do you know of your own ancestors and family secrets? What aspects of this novel resonated with you?
Did you have a favourite twin and which characters in your opinion were credible?
Was this a stand out read for you? What makes it so memorable?
How does it compare to other Women's Prize winners and contenders?
EXTREMELY LOUD & INCREDIBLY CLOSE
MISSED OPPORTUNITY
Did this novel trigger your memory of 9/11? If so, where were you? Why does the author evade the actual event?
Was Oskar a credible character and did this feel like a possible scenario and narrative? Did the group appreciate his adult voice?
How does the Dresden bombing compare to the attack on New York? What do think the author was trying to achieve?
This is a story about family secrets and coping with tragedy? How did your group feel about Oskar’s mother and grandparents?
The photo of ‘the falling man’ is an iconic image. What images do you recall and captures the disaster?
Have you read any other accounts or novels based on 9/11 and how does this compare to you?
SELECTED STORIES
Which was your personal favourite story and why?
Which story surprised you the most?
Could you invest in these tiny glimpses into other people’s lives?
How do you think Monro packs so much detail into her short stories?
Do you feel you are able to imagine so much more beyond the window Monro gives us into the lives of her characters?
Would this book be a contender for your own choice to take to a desert island?
THE WILD CARD