Beat the Reaper 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 Beat the Reaper.

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

1. There are many dramatically charged scenes in Beat the Reaper, but the story is also broadly humorous. What was the funniest moment in the novel for you, and why?
2. Near the end of the novel Pietro Brnwa/Peter Brown's mentor Prof. Marmoset tells him, "Any time you can tell the difference between something you can do something about and something you can't, you should thank God. Particularly if it turns out to be something you can't" (page 304). How effectively does Pietro/Peter "tell the difference" throughout the novel? What do you think he's learned by the story's conclusion?
3. "As any other American child would, I picked Batman and Charles Bronson in Death Wish as role models" (page 26). In what ways is Pietro's early life a typical (or atypical) American childhood? Discuss his teenage induction into crime as a way of life.

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