So, you’ve decided to read Second Life for your book club. May I be the first to say, great decision! I think you’ll find plenty to discuss with this book. I’m part of a book club, and one of the more important things for book club is having discussion questions at the back of the book. No, we don’t pan a book if there are no questions. But having them makes it much easier for the person facilitating. So, here’s a list of questions you can use to spur your Book Club discussion. If you have come up with a great discussion question of your own that you used when discussing the book, leave it in a comment. I may even add it to the list. (Please note the questions were written for people who have read the book. If you haven’t read the book, some question content might prove to be a spoiler.)
Questions
1. Susan is locked away because she tried to help Kelsey. She says she doesn’t regret making the decision. Ultimately, how do you view Susan’s decision to help?
2. Susan’s childhood was difficult, mostly because of her relationship with her aunt. How do you think this childhood impacts her adult relationships, both with Rob and Kelsey?
3. Susan and Rob become intimate prior to her surgery. Do you think their relationship would have been different if they had waited until after surgery?
4. Both Rob and Sen. Reed were people in a position to help who knew about Susan’s captivity. Do you think they handled that knowledge well, and did all they could to safely get her out?
5. What do you think of Kelsey’s decision to undergo the procedure to get cells for Susan’s surgery? Do you think she would have agreed to the procedure if she hadn’t felt guilty for Susan’s entrapment?
6. Kelsey viewed Dr. Grant as her friend at the beginning of the book, and at the end, she feels he’s untrustworthy. By the end of the book, what is your assessment of Dr. Grant?
7. Patricia Donnelly took some actions in the novel that were, at times, drastic. Using the laspinas was particularly despicable. By the end of the novel, how did you feel about Patricia? Presuming Susan and Rob continue to be involved, what kind of relationship do you think Susan can have with Patricia?
8.Given the government’s objective of keeping Susan, how would you rate Col. Parker’s job performance? On a couple of occasions, Col. Parker tells Susan that he actually does like her but has a job to do. Do you think he’s telling the truth? If you think he’s lying, why do you think he feels the need to tell her this while threatening her at the same time?
9. In the two books of the series, we’ve gotten to know the main characters fairly well. Which character do you identify most with and why?