Book Club Discussion Questions
Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!
DISCUSSION POINTS
- In the opening pages of Lick Creek, Emily tries to imagine what it
is like to work in the coal mines. "There's a power inside the
earth," her brother Delmar tells her, making her jealous of this
mysterious underground world from which women are excluded. In what other
ways is Emily's life circumscribed by having been born female? Discuss the
contrasting picture Brad Kessler paints of the lives of men and the lives of
women.
- Emily loves Gianni with a simple trust and spontaneity that stands in
stark contrast to the reluctant manner in which she later allows herself to
fall for Joseph. How has her ability to love and trust been affected by the
coal mine disaster that took the lives of her father, brother, and childhood
sweetheart? By her smoldering resentment of the power company Joseph works
for? And by the bitter aftereffects of her encounter with Robert Daniels?
- Set in the remote mining country of West Virginia, Lick Creek has
as its historical background the introduction of electric power to the
region in the late 1920s. Kessler's tale examines the relentless march of
progress that threatens to totally transform rural life without bringing any
immediate benefits to the people. In addition to the human cost of progress,
what other themes does Brad Kessler explore? Discuss the clash of cultures
and classes that the novel portrays. In what ways does the plight of this
one Appalachian farm family illuminate what one critic has called "the
quintessential American story of the struggle between the powerful and the
powerless"?
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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 Scribner.
Any page references refer to a USA edition of the book, usually the trade paperback version, and may vary in other editions.