Welcome to my blog post on general questions and areas to focus on to kick-start discussion after reading my novels (or any novel for that matter) although I’m sure you will have plenty of your own too!
- How did you experience the book? Were you engaged immediately, or did it take you a while to “get into it”? How did you feel reading it—amused, sad, disturbed, confused, anxious, excited…?
- Describe the main characters—personality traits, motivations, and inner qualities. Why do the characters do what they do? • Are their actions justified? • Describe the dynamics between the different characters (in a marriage, family, or friendship). • How has the past shaped their lives? • Do you admire or disapprove of them? • Do they remind you of people you know?
- Are the main characters dynamic—changing or maturing by the end of the book? Do they learn about themselves, how the world works and their role in it?
- Discuss the plot: Is it engaging—do you find the story interesting? • Is this a plot-driven book—a fast-paced page-turner? • Does the plot unfold slowly with a focus on character? • Were you surprised by complications, twists & turns? • Did you find the plot predictable, even formulaic?
- Talk about the book’s structure. Is it a continuous story…or interlocking short stories? • Does the time-line move forward chronologically? • Does time shift back & forth from past to present? • Is there a single viewpoint or shifting viewpoints? • Why might the author have chosen to tell the story the way he or she did? • What difference does the structure make in the way you read or understand the book?
- What main ideas—themes—does the author explore? (Consider the title, often a clue to a theme.) Does the author use symbolsto reinforce the main ideas?
- What passages strike you as insightful, even profound? Perhaps a bit of dialog that’s funny or poignant or that encapsulates a character? Maybe there’s a particular comment that states the book’s thematic concerns?
- Is the ending satisfying? If so, why? If not, why not…and how would you change it?
- If you could ask the author a question, what would you ask? Have you read other books by the same author? If so how does this book compare. If not, does this book inspire you to read others?
- Has this novel changed you—broadened your perspective? Have you learned something new or been exposed to different ideas about people or a certain part of the world?
