Points to Ponder While Reading

What a marvelous time I had at the Pittsburg Public Library on Monday! They really know how to treat their guest speakers (which is why I always answer Carol Ann Robb's emails, take her calls, and say "Yes" whenever she give me an invitation to her Library). Nancy Pickard is in for a treat when she visits on February 17.



Over the lunch hour, I chatted with a roomful of people, most of whom had read The Virgin of Small Plains. I didn't want to give away any spoilers for those who hadn't had a chance to read this quickly paced bestseller, so we discussed the characteristics of mystery and suspense novels, the differences between the two genres, and how VOSP deftly melds the best of these characteristics into one book.

In addition to having readers consider which genre this book most closely resembles and where the elements of each are in the story, I asked readers to think about the theme of guilt and redemption while following the story. Every character in VOSP is suffering from some guilt, but some are more guilty than others. Are all the characters deserving of the guilt they harbor? Who finds redemption by the end of the book? What is it about this book that makes it a "Kansas" book? Could it have been set in any other small town in the midwest? These are just a couple of topics to consider discussing when the book group gathers. I included a little more information in a blog post over at Booklist Online's Book Group Buzz blog. You can read it here.

Incidentally, this isn't the US cover. I think it came from the UK or Canada, but I love it and wanted everyone to see it. The tag line on the bottom is "The truth did not die with her." Creepy, eh? And all those rose petals on a snowy grave. Wonderful use of imagery from the book.