Book Club Discussion Questions
For supplemental discussion material see our Beyond the Book article, and our BookBrowse Review of Dark Roots.
Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!
About This Guide
A Grove Press Reading Guide by
Barbara Putnam
We hope that these discussion questions will enhance your reading group's exploration of Cate Kennedy's
Dark
Roots. They are meant to stimulate discussion, offer new viewpoints, and enrich your enjoyment of the book.
More reading group guides and additional information, including summaries, author tours, and author sites for other fine Grove Press titles, may be found on our Web site,
www.groveatlantic.com.
Questions for Discussion
- "I have been told, both in approval
and in accusation, that
I seem to love all my characters. What I do in writing of
any character is to try to enter into the mind, heart, and skin
of a human being who is not myself. Whether this happens
to be a man or a woman, old or young, with skin black or
white, the primary challenge lies in making the jump itself.
It is the act of a writer's imagination that I set most high."
Eudora Welty.
Do you think Kennedy seems to love all her characters?
Does she enter completely into "the mind, heart, and skin"
of different people? Do you, as a reader, feel drawn to follow
her there? Which characters in these stories do you understand
and feel the best, whether or not you condone their
actions?
- Did you find that the stories offer a surprising range of subjects,
tones, and settings? Most are focused on one relationship
or a family. Yet think about the variety of human natures
and conflicts. The spirit may be sly satire or grim vengeance
or just endurance, but usually with ironic insights. Which
stories use shock value effectively? Which ones make you
smile with satisfaction, perhaps along with the narrator?
- Violence, real or imagined, is often a place of revelation or
a sharp turning point. Think of the accident in "What Thou
and I Did, Till We Loved." And the near murder in "Flotsam."
Recall the sustained imagery of trapping that leads
to the final event in "Cold Snap." What other stories turn
on a violent act?
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- How does the author develop themes of identity and belonging throughout the narrative?
- What role does the setting play in shaping the characters' decisions and relationships?
- Discuss how the ending reframes the events of the story. Were you surprised?
Unless otherwise stated, this discussion guide is reprinted with the permission of Black Cat.
Any page references refer to a USA edition of the book, usually the trade paperback version, and may vary in other editions.