1.
America is the proverbial land of opportunity, and Edward and Donna Pryor have achieved wealth and a high standing in their community. How do you think money played into the decisions they made on that fateful night? Do you see them making the same decision if they weren’t affluent?
2. Was
money a hindrance or an accelerator in the Pryors’ downfall?
3. When
you met Donna Pryor in the beginning of the story, did you feel empathy for her?
4. “If
a child goes wrong, look at the family.” Does that ring true to you?
5. We
have all said “I’d do anything for my child.” How would you have reacted coming upon the scene in the garage? Would you protect your child from legal consequences? How far would you go to stretch the truth? Where would you draw the line?
6. Had
Donna and Edward called the police that night, how might things have played out differently for the Pryor family? Would Penelope have changed how she lived her life if she
had been exonerated? Would Donna and Edward still be together?
7. Think back to the initial quote in the
book by William Butler Yates. “Why, what could she have done, being what she is?” In what ways does that quote apply to both Donna and Penelope?
8. In your opinion, who is mostly to blame
for the downfall of the Pryor family? Who can you forgive most easily?
9.
Did the Pryors get what they deserved? Examine the consequences for each one of them. Does the punishment match the gravity of the crime for Edward, Donna, and Penelope?
10. Dante’s
“Divine Comedy” is a fourteenth century poem telling of Dante’s journey through hell. What do you make of the parallels of the three parts (hell, purgatory, and heaven) of the novel?
11. Shadow
Garden is a character unto itself. What made the setting unique or important to the story? Did you know that places like Shadow Garden existed in reality?
A L E X A N D R A B U RT is a freelance translator and the international bestselling author of Remember Mia and The Good Daughter. After years of writing classes and gluttonous reading, her short fiction appeared in fiction journals and literary reviews. AuthorAlexandraBurt AlexandraBurt
Š Alexandra Burt