One Night at Silver Lake book club questions

1. What do you make of the doctor’s suggestion regarding Sara and Richard’s fertility dilemma, and of her decision to visit Troy?

2. Do you think Sara and Richard would have been happy if they’d been able to conceive a child? Why or why not?

3. Richard is burdened by family expectations, and competition with others. Is this inevitable in family life?

4. In what ways is Sara’s idea of ‘home’ so unique, and why is this so?

5. Do you think James and Olivia were good parents?

6. Sara is taught by her parents that love and honesty cannot exist if you cut them apart. Discuss.

7. In the novel unseen forces are at work – they might be chance, fate, acts of God or the ancestors. Do you experience this in your own life, and how do you make meaning of it?

8. The role of women in different societies is explored in the novel. Can you see similarities in their experiences? How much have things changed since the sixties?

9. Sara and Evan experience a powerful connection during their one night at Silver Lake. Has something like this ever happened to you?

10. What roles do plants and animals have in the story, as a mirror of human relationships?

11. What particular challenges and responsibilities come with writing about cultures other than your own?

12. Have you read any other novels by Katherine Scholes? Do you identify any recurring themes in her writing?