The Killer's Tears Reading Guide & Discussion Questions

Book Club Discussion Questions

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For supplemental discussion material see our Beyond the Book article, and our BookBrowse Review of The Killer's Tears.

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

ABOUT THIS BOOK
In a desolate landscape in Southern Chile, a boy, his parents’ murderer, and a wealthy stranger from the city struggle to confront their pasts and ultimately experience the healing power of love and forgiveness.

“It’s not easy to be alive. . . . It’s complicated, twisted and kinked, just like the dead trees of the Pampas.” (p. 100) No one knows better than Paolo Poloverdo how difficult living can be. After Angel Allegria appears at his family farm and murders his parents, the young boy finds himself in the care of both his parents’ killer and Luis, a wealthy gentleman from the city trying to escape his own inner demons. With two unlikely surrogate fathers, Paolo learns that love, beauty, and ultimately, forgiveness can heal the most griefstricken heart, and that wisdom can be found even in the worst of circumstances. And for Angel and Luis, the love and trust found in the heart of an innocent boy offers them a chance to redeem what is left of the lives they so desperately want to escape.

TEACHING IDEAS

PRE-READING ACTIVITY
The concept of forgiveness is one of the major themes in The Killer’s Tears. Challenge students to make a list of five to ten actions that they deem to be forgivable. Next ask them to come up with five to ten actions that they deem to be unforgivable. Write both lists on the board, and begin a debate about how circumstances can change one’s notions of what can and cannot be forgiven. Remind students to consider these “gray areas” while reading The Killer’s Tears.

QUESTIONS FOR GROUP DISCUSSION

Parenting/Fatherhood

1. Shortly after Angel moves into the Poloverdo home, he begins to take on parenting responsibilities, both physically and emotionally. Examine with students ways in which Angel looks out for Paolo’s well-being.


2. Paolo possesses an innate intelligence and survival instinct. When he realizes that Angel is going to kill Luis, he calls Angel “Papa.” Discuss with students how this event both saves Luis’s life and strengthens the bond between the murderer and the child?


3. Ask students how Paolo’s decision to kill the fox cub helps to cement their relationship, and why they think Paolo chose to save the man who murdered his parents. In what other ways do Paolo and Angel bond throughout the story?

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