ICE Breakers
ALL THE BROKEN PLACES
BOOK OF THE MOMENT
Did you like Gretel? Do you think she is a complicit observer?
Boyne believes that every story of everyone whose life was affected by the Holocaust is worth telling. Do you agree?
Do you think Gretel still loved her father and was why she was unable to hold him culpable?
Should a 12-year-old girl pay the price for her father’s crimes?
Why does Alex go on hurting his wife and son?
Why can’t Madelyn stand up for herself?
What is the significance of Gretel always keeping her first name when she changes her identity?
Do you think the consequences of Gretel’s early life seem to have impacted her ability to have a close relationship with her son who is about to marry for the fourth time?
Were you surprised by Gretel’s revelations at the end?
ALL THE PRETTY HORSES
MISSED OPPORTUNITY
Why do you think Cole and Rawlins continue to help Blevins despite the danger they know this is putting them in?
What is Cole and Rawlins downfall – meeting Blevins or Cole falling in love with Alejandra?
How important are the ‘blood red’ skies to the narrative of this story?
This book has been described as ‘one of the greatest American novels of this or any time’. Do your book club agree?
How key is the rhythm and rich language to this story?
Have you read any other Cormac McCarthy books and if so, how do they compare and which is your favourite?
DR NO
'Dr No' has been described as madcap, metaphysical, ingenious? How was this wild card read received by you and your book club? And where would you place this novel in a genre?
Which protagonist in the novel did you enjoy the most? John Sill or Kitu?
‘This country has never given us anything and it never will. It’s time we give nothing back.’ To what extent do you think Everett succeeded in telling an African American revenge tale? Was satire a useful literary tool to achieving this?
How does 'Dr No' compare with his other novels, such as ‘The Trees’ which was short listed for the Booker Prize 2022?
THE WILD CARD