Ghost Wall Reading Guide & Discussion Questions

Book Club Discussion Questions

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For supplemental discussion material see our Beyond the Book article, Hadrian's Wall: Remains of a Fallen Empire and our BookBrowse Review of Ghost Wall.

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

1. How would you describe the dynamic in Silvie's family when the novel opens? How about Silvie's attitude specifically? In what ways does your view of this family evolve as the novel progresses? Are there particular points in the story that shift these views?
2. In what ways do you see contemporary views of culture and behavior exhibited during the re-enactment? Identify a few examples.
3. Silvie sneaks out early in the morning to relieve herself and remarks, "without a house, it occurred to me, it is much harder to restrict a person's movement. Harder for a man to restrain a woman." In what ways do you see this notion play out in the novel? How do you see Silvie's premise contradicted?

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