Time of the Child Reading Guide & Discussion Questions

Book Club Discussion Questions

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For supplemental discussion material see our Beyond the Book article, The Myth of the Holly King and our BookBrowse Review of Time of the Child.

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

1. Why did the doctor wait to attend to the priest at the beginning of the story when Father Tom was struggling to remember whose birthday the church was celebrating that December? Do you think it was the right thing to do—to wait? Do you understand his hesitancy?
2. Why was the doctor unable to tell Annie Mooney about his feelings for her? What was it that stopped him from telling her how he felt while she was alive? Do you think she returned his feelings? Does it matter if she did or didn't?
3. Many characters suffer from illness throughout the novel, from alcoholism to dementia to cancer. How do the different family members deal with their loved ones' pain?

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