Some of you may not have an edition of the book with the questions, so here they are:
1. Why does the author leave the narrator of the story unnamed, but tells us that he was named after his mother's brother who had died at thirteen? What clue does Anna give the reader about what the narrator's name might be?
2. Anna mentions the legendary escape artist and illusionist Houdini on several occasions. What about Houdini fascinates her? How does she ultimately emulate him?
3. The first time the narrator visits Anna's house he finds a Bible on Anna's nightstand in which she has underlined the following passage: "And I gave my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly; I perceived that this also is vexation of the spirit. For in much wisdom is much grief; and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow." The narrator finds a card in his locker with the same inscription, after Anna's disappearance. Why was the passage so relevant to Anna? What might it say about her relationship with narrator?
4. Why is Anna so fascinated with obituaries? Do you think she was telling the truth when she tells the narrator that her obituaries have come true? Do the obituaries serve another purpose besides describing each person's life and death?
5. Who caused Anna's bruises? Why does she lie to the narrator about them?
6. What was Anna's relationship to Bryce Druitt? Why do you think she ran his car into the bridge? Why did Bryce also have a box full of things that Anna had sent him? Why did he know about the obituary that the narrator had received in the mail after Anna's disappearance?
7. Where did the condom wrapper that Anna's father found come from? Do you think she planted it, and if so, why? Did she have another lover? What evidence supports or refutes this possibility?
8. Why do you think the narrator's sister Joan abandoned the family, avoiding contact with anyone? Why would she not at least contact her brothers?
9. Why was Anna so adamant that the narrator write a ghost story? Was that the real reason Anna wanted to visit Mumler? Was it coincidence that she walks across the ice?
10. What did Anna know about Mr. Devon and why does she dislike him? The narrator finds a letter from Anna when he's helping Mr. Devon clear out his office for the summer. What does the letter reveal about Anna's possible connection to Mr. Devon? Do you think his explanation about the letter is the truth? Do you think he's told the truth about the fire that killed his girlfriend?
11. Why do the narrator's parents relate so poorly to each other and their chldren? Does it have someting to do with the loss of their daughter, Denise? How do they each try to reach out to the narrator after Anna's disappearance?
12. What do you think actually happened to Anna? Interpret the evidence she left behind - does it support the idea that she killed herself, was murdered, or the theory that she ran away? What senario does what she wrote in the narrator's obituary suggest?
13. Early in the book the narrator says, "I'm bland. I'm milk. Worse, I'm water." How has his opinion of himself changed by the end of the book? What has he come to realize about himself, and what does he credit for the change?
Labels: Apr 07, books
