Book Club Discussion Questions and Guide for The Offing by Benjamin Myers

1. 'But I was a young man once, so young and green, and that can never change. Memory allows me to be so again.' The novel both begins and ends with narration from Robert as an old man. How did this shape your reading of the story?
2. At the beginning of the novel, Robert talks about his desire to leave Durham for a great adventure, and yet he does not travel further than Yorkshire. Can his story still be described as an adventure? What makes an adventure an adventure?
3. Dulcie takes Robert in as a stranger, feeds him, gives him a place to stay, and ignites his interest in poetry. Why do you think she invests so much in him at the beginning of their friendship?
4. 'Wars continue long after the fighting has stopped, and the world felt then as if it were full of holes'. What holes has the war left in Dulcie's life, and in Robert's?
5. Discuss the role of social class in the novel. How does it shape Robert's relationship with Dulcie? Do the characters' attitudes to their own social class change as the novel progresses?
6. The natural world is a powerful figure in the novel, as well as in Romy's poetry. Consider the implications of nature's power in the novel. How does it affect each character?
7. How do you interpret the relationship between Dulcie and Romy? How does Dulcie navigate discussing homosexuality at a time when it was so taboo?
8. The Offing is written by a northern author, and is set in the north of England. How prominent is the sense of national identity in the novel, and how does it manifest itself?
9. Poets throughout the ages have used poetry as a tool for thinking about death. What role do you think poetry played in Romy's decision to take her own life? Do you think she understood the effect her words would have on Dulcie after her death?
10. Robert and Dulcie develop a close, intimate friendship, despite their age gap. What do they have in common? What holds them apart?
11. The Offing takes place at the very end of an old world, and the beginning of a new, modern one. Which influences of the old world are still present, and which elements of modernity have already emerged? How does this particular temporal setting affect the characters and their actions?
12. Language, and in particular, poetry, have a particularly powerful hold over Robert, Dulcie, and Romy. How does this power manifest itself? Does it affect each character in the same way?

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