Damnation Spring Reading Guide & Discussion Questions

Book Club Discussion Questions

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For supplemental discussion material see our Beyond the Book article, Poison from the Sky in Oregon and our BookBrowse Review of Damnation Spring.

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

1. Lark says of Rich, "Not a lot of guys are born to do something." What is Lark referring to? In your opinion, what role does a sense of "destiny" play in Rich's decision to take a risk on 24-7 Ridge?
2. Consider the role Daniel played in Colleen's young adulthood. Why does she feel drawn to him when he first returns to Klamath? To Colleen, what does Daniel represent in her life?
3. In the beginning of the novel, Colleen is reeling after her latest miscarriage and feels resentful of her sister, Enid, who now has six children—including her youngest, the miraculously docile Alsea. How does Colleen's notion of Enid as the luckier of the two become more complicated as the novel progresses? By the end of the novel, how has the sisters' relationship to one another changed?

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