Puppet Child Reading Guide & Discussion Questions

1. Rachel did not see a "red flag" in the fact that Wes did not visit his daughter from his first marriage. She regarded his fury over that situation as a sign of his love for that child. Should his behavior have tipped her off to his deviant personality? Is it natural for a woman in love, even an intelligent, sophisticated woman, to be taken in by a man’s charm and status?
   


2. Throughout Puppet Child, Rachel makes several promises to Ellie, with the full intention of keeping them. ("Cross my heart and hope to die," and "No more Zoo Game"). Is it fair of Rachel to promise things that might be beyond her control?
   


3. In an interview, Carner reported that she spoke with many mothers, who, broken financially and emotionally, their legal recourse exhausted, deserted the battleground. Their children remained with their abusers. In Puppet Child there is the shadow of Phil's mother as one such broken woman. Can you understand the choices mothers sometimes make? Could you shoulder the emotional and financial load of fighting for your child's safety the way Rachel did to protect Ellie? Would there be other, more effective means to protect the child?
   

Unless otherwise stated, this discussion guide is reprinted with the permission of Pagefree Publishing. Any page references refer to a USA edition of the book, usually the trade paperback version, and may vary in other editions.