READERS GUIDE

Questions and Topics for Discussion

Gender plays a large part in this novel. How do you think that characters adhered to/rebelled against their prescribed gender roles? Do you think that further adhesion/rebellion would have impacted their journeys? 

While none of the main characters in this book are parents, they each take on the role of parents at one time or another. Which characters do you think do this effectively, why do you think that some characters struggle while others flourish in the role of parents?
 
Did you experience Anna’s connection to Betty as queerness, as obsession, or both? How do you think she might have coped with this in the modern day, or in later decades? 

Queerness is both a central and peripheral theme in the novel. Besides Anna, did you feel queerness coming from any characters? 
Anna’s story is largely guided by her obsessions, however obsession affects other characters, too. Who else do you think is most impacted by obsession, and how does it affect their lives? 

Although we never hear from Peggy as a narrator, she plays a central role in the novel. What do you think she would have to say if she was given the chance to narrate? Are there any other characters you would have liked to hear from? 

What do you think that the O’Leary siblings’ lives would look like without Peggy? 

What do you think was Anna’s fate? 

What did you think of the depiction of the 1960s in rural Ireland? Did anything surprise you? How did the setting contribute to the story? 

The theme of the Irish Gothic is seen throughout the book. Are you familiar with this theme, and what are some elements that you believe might fit the theme? 

How do you think that the portrayal of Ireland in this book measures up to the modern romanticisation of the country?