Reading Group Guide
Use the questions below to enhance your discussion of The Night She Died. Feel free to contact the author at her email address if your group has questions or points of discussion you'd like her to comment on. Jennifer sometimes makes appearances at writers groups. If you are interested in having Jennifer meet with your group, click "contact" on her home page and send her an email.
Introduction
The Night She Died goes beyond the murder mystery genre to explore themes of coming of age, cultural identity, family, and responsibility. It is also a poignant story exploring how individuals face and ultimately master grief brought on by profound loss.
Questions for Discussion
How does Lara's relationship with Pam Grier show the misunderstandings, mistrust, and the mindset of the cultures from which each woman comes? Are there characters in the novel that defy Lara's stereotypical image of The South? How and to what effect?
In what ways is The Night She Died a coming of age novel? Do all the characters "grow up" in some way? How? What prompts their movement into a more adult and responsible mindset?
- What function does Captain Edgars serve in the
novel? Is he merely a character that helps move the
plot along as he investigates Lara's murder, or does he
serve a larger, deeper purpose? What is that purpose?
- At first glance, Lara and Sterling would seem to be an
unlikely couple. What attracts them to each other,
and how does their relationship manage to grow and solidify
despite the enormous differences between them and their
backgrounds?
- At some point in the novel, both Sterling and Lara stop
viewing their relationship as a way to escape the pain and
drabness of their lives and start looking at it as a
positive and healthy way to "move on" with their
lives. Eric is also influenced to move forward with
his life. What must the characters realize about and
admit to themselves in order for this shift to occur?
Does the reader believe that this "moving on" is indeed a
healthy step forward, or are Sterling, Eric and Lara
continuing to avoid difficult aspects of their lives they should be
paying attention to?
- What part does the natural world play in the theme of
the novel? How does the author use the natural world
to emphasize the predominant themes of the story?
- Throughout the novel, the characters play many roles
that are unnatural to them. What are some of these
roles and how does the author show this
"role-playing?" Do these roles interfere with the
characters realization of their "true" selves or are the
roles already a part of their "true" selves?
- Why does Eric Teague wish to remain in Winston? What
does Winston represent to each character?
- What in Sterling's nature allows him to recover from
yet another tragedy? How does Eric's help figure into
his recovery?
- This novel focuses on a short period in the lives of three distinct individuals. What larger themes and messages come through its portrayal of Eric, Sterling and Lara?