READERS GUIDE
Introduction
“If it’s not the volcano, then what the hell is it?” (p. 18, Hard Red Spring)An Introduction to Hard Red Spring, by Kelly Kerney
On an otherwise ordinary day in 1902, eight-year-old Evie watches as the eruption of a nearby volcano fills the skies above her parents’ farm with ash. Beyond the threat of lava, Evie’s parents fear that the ash will kill the cochineal bugs they’ve been raising to harvest. As American expats in Guatemala, their life has been a constant struggle, and a ruined harvest would mean bankruptcy. But in the days that follow, an even deeper tragedy is set in motion—one that will alter the course of Evie’s life and ripple through the coming century.
Dorie, the wife of the U.S. ambassador to Guatemala in 1954, lives an untethered, if outwardly glamorous, life. While her husband, Jim, deals with the growing threat of an Indian revolution, Dorie—with no children to care for—passes her days in idleness. When she meets Emelda, Dorie believes the teen is just another pretty Indian being groomed to become a rich American’s mistress. However, as tensions within the country come to a head, Dorie discovers the shocking truth about Emelda, Jim, and the role she herself has been cast to play.
A devout Christian, Lenore believes that God directed her and her husband, Dan, to leave their comfortable lives in Kentucky to join Operation Open Arms in Guatemala. It’s 1983, and the two sign on to help born-again Christian president José Efraín Ríos Montt convert the local Indian population, thus deflating the Communist rebellion. Dan embraces his new life, preaching to the Indians and advising the general who oversees their model village. At first, Lenore can barely communicate with the villagers, but after she meets an Indian woman who speaks English, Lenore begins to question the operation’s mission. She also realizes it’s not the Communists whom the Indians truly fear.
In 1999, Jean, a lesbian single mother, travels to Guatemala with her adopted daughter, Maya. After becoming romantically involved with Telema, a radical professor of history, Jean has come to question her decision to transplant an orphaned Guatemalan infant to America. She decides to take Maya on a “roots tour” to teach her daughter about her homeland. There, tourists are vastly outnumbered by NGO workers, who are attempting to document the atrocities committed by President Ríos Montt—and the U.S. government. As Jean learns the circumstances of Maya’s birth, she is unwittingly caught up in Telema’s efforts to unravel a century-old mystery as the CIA keeps close at their heels.
Kelly Kerney’s debut novel, Born Again, was chosen by the New York Public Library as one of the best books of the year. In Hard Red Spring, Kerney has crafted an epic thriller that masterfully interweaves one hundred years of Guatemalan history with the destinies of four very different women. At once a page-turner and a stunning indictment of American interventionism, Kerney’s unforgettable new novel solidifies her reputation as one of the most powerful and visionary storytellers at work today.
Questions and Topics for Discussion
1. How did your opinion of Evie’s father, Robert, change over the course of their story?
2. Why is Evie’s mother so attached to their piano? Does she come to value it more than her own daughter’s life?
3. When they first meet at Radcliffe, does Marcella sincerely like Dorie, or does she befriend her because she feels that the naïve American girl could be easily manipulated?
4. Does Dorie’s willingness to betray Jim and Marcella justify the way in which she ultimately finds herself being used?
5. What is Tomás’s most egregious crime: his betrayal of Dorie or the betrayal of his people? Did you suspect that he was Indian before Marcella told Dorie?
6. If Lenore had actually been pregnant, would Dan have rethought the way he was treating her?
7. Was Lenore truly responsible for what happened to Emelda?
8. The Guatemalan government used the Civil Patrol as a way to turn the indigenous population against itself. Can you think of another historical instance in which this occurred?
9. Was Jean’s decision to take Maya on her roots tour premature? Did she decide to go more for her own sake than for her daughter’s?
10. Do you share Telema’s opinion on international adoptions?
11. The college where Telema teaches restricts her to history that is at least twenty years old. Is this a reasonable request? Why or why not?
12. Discuss how Kerney uses corn and quetzals as metaphorical devices throughout the novel.
13. During the period of President José Efraín Ríos Montt’s rule, the indigenous Mayans were required to learn Spanish. What were the implications of this attempt to standardize language across Guatemala?
14. Before reading Hard Red Spring, how much did you know about Guatemala’s recent history? Is it possible for the U.S. to adequately atone for its interventions in Guatemala?
