Discussion Questions
1. In a committed relationship, would you consider it cheating if a partner called a phone sex service?
2. How do you think Paige's upbringing has contributed to her lack of self-worth and to the choices she has made regarding her former occupation, her lovers and her friends?
3. Is there any part of the villain's character that you find sympathetic?
4. Which scene in Safe As Churches do you find the most compelling?
5. What common traits do twins Joshua and Carolyn share?
6. If you met the characters from the novel, which one would you be most tempted to change? How and why?
1. In a committed relationship, would you consider it cheating if a partner called a phone sex service?
2. How do you think Paige's upbringing has contributed to her lack of self-worth and to the choices she has made regarding her former occupation, her lovers and her friends?
3. Is there any part of the villain's character that you find sympathetic?
4. Which scene in Safe As Churches do you find the most compelling?
5. What common traits do twins Joshua and Carolyn share?
6. If you met the characters from the novel, which one would you be most tempted to change? How and why?
Discussion Questions
1. Think of the ways you might be dependent on the Internet--for banking, investing, research, dating, shopping, paying bills. If you were told that you wouldn't have Internet access for an entire month, how would you feel and how would you adapt?
2. If you had/have young children or teenagers, what rules would you instill to keep them safe from Internet predators?
3. Imagine your household with an adolescent who is hikikomori like Yoshitomo Tagawa. Describe your concerns and frustrations, and tell what steps you would take to try and help him get well. What words would you like to say to Yoshi's uncle, Ken Ishiguro?
4. "Saving face" is a way of life in Asia, while "losing face" lowers a person's social standing/reputation/influence/dignity and honour in the eyes of one's peers. How would you react to the following:
a) police in Asia arrest you but you are innocent. They detain you unnecessarily so the arresting officer doesn't lose face before his peers.
b) you ask someone for directions but suspect that, rather than admit he doesn't know, he sends you in the opposite direction.
5. Which scene in the novel did you find the most eerie?
6. The novel is rife with victims: Yoshi, Rose Pezeshki,
Melissa Waller, Carolyn Latham. Which did you find the most sympathetic?
7. The Monitor is populated with potential villains. Is there another character in the book whose evil rivals the Monitor's?
1. Think of the ways you might be dependent on the Internet--for banking, investing, research, dating, shopping, paying bills. If you were told that you wouldn't have Internet access for an entire month, how would you feel and how would you adapt?
2. If you had/have young children or teenagers, what rules would you instill to keep them safe from Internet predators?
3. Imagine your household with an adolescent who is hikikomori like Yoshitomo Tagawa. Describe your concerns and frustrations, and tell what steps you would take to try and help him get well. What words would you like to say to Yoshi's uncle, Ken Ishiguro?
4. "Saving face" is a way of life in Asia, while "losing face" lowers a person's social standing/reputation/influence/dignity and honour in the eyes of one's peers. How would you react to the following:
a) police in Asia arrest you but you are innocent. They detain you unnecessarily so the arresting officer doesn't lose face before his peers.
b) you ask someone for directions but suspect that, rather than admit he doesn't know, he sends you in the opposite direction.
5. Which scene in the novel did you find the most eerie?
6. The novel is rife with victims: Yoshi, Rose Pezeshki,
Melissa Waller, Carolyn Latham. Which did you find the most sympathetic?
7. The Monitor is populated with potential villains. Is there another character in the book whose evil rivals the Monitor's?
1. In Sympathy for the Devil, Susan Merrick is faced with what she sees is an impossible choice: staying home to be with her seven-year-old daughter or going to work in order to pay her bills on time. Her decision sets terrible wheels in motion. What alternatives do you think Susan had that might have kept her daughter safe when her regular babysitters let her down?
2. Do you believe that society in general has an innate prejudice toward single mothers?
3. Sergeant Ziggy Takacs has scenes in this novel in which he appears to be "off his game" and not quite himself. To what do you attribute this change?
5. Do you think Simon Travers is the right man for Carolyn? Is it too soon after Carolyn's divorce from Gregg Holt for her to be involved in a
serious relationship? What advice would you give Carolyn about her
romantic life?
6. Which scene in Sympathy for the Devil did you find the most
disturbing?
7. In a movie version of the book, who would you cast in the role of
Harper Merrick? Bryan Bishop? Carolyn Latham?
8. Abby Merrick is a streetwise, resourceful little girl. How do you
foresee her chances for recovery from the trauma she has endured?
2. Do you believe that society in general has an innate prejudice toward single mothers?
3. Sergeant Ziggy Takacs has scenes in this novel in which he appears to be "off his game" and not quite himself. To what do you attribute this change?
5. Do you think Simon Travers is the right man for Carolyn? Is it too soon after Carolyn's divorce from Gregg Holt for her to be involved in a
serious relationship? What advice would you give Carolyn about her
romantic life?
6. Which scene in Sympathy for the Devil did you find the most
disturbing?
7. In a movie version of the book, who would you cast in the role of
Harper Merrick? Bryan Bishop? Carolyn Latham?
8. Abby Merrick is a streetwise, resourceful little girl. How do you
foresee her chances for recovery from the trauma she has endured?