Text Box: 345 Snyder Richland, WA 99352 509-375-3307 Text Box: What does this novel say about colonialism and the spread of Western culture? What do you think motivated Dr. Carroll? What do you think was Edgar Drake’s purpose in Burma? Why did he accept the commission? Why did Katherine encourage him? Do you think she knew what would happen? Why are there so varied opinions and beliefs about Dr. Carroll. What do you consider the incidents that irreparably change Edgar Drake? What is he searching for in the jungle? Why does Dr. Carroll specifically select Edgar? Why did Edgar not discover his “emptiness” until he reached Burma? How did you feel about his treatment of Edgar? Why did Edgar keep the coin of the boy who was accidentally shot? How did that affect him? What is Khin Myo’s relationship with Dr. Carroll? Do you think she really liked Edgar or was only acting on Dr. Carroll’s orders? What does she mean when she says she’s been there forever? How is she a “creation of Drake’s imaginings”? Discuss the significance of music throughout this work. Why does Edgar loose the piano down the river? Which of the possible roles (spy, Shan nationalist, empire builder) did you attach to Dr. Carroll? Who was the shadow who came to visit Edgar in prison? What does he mean when he says, “We have all been ghosts since all this began.” Do you think Edgar’s “emptiness” would ever have been filled? What happened to Edgar in the end? Ultimately, what does Edgar learn on his odyssey? What is the meaning of the woman with the parasol and the image of the sun at the end of the book? Text Box: Discussion Questions Text Box: Reality is for those who cannot face fiction! Text Box: Hypatia’s Eclectic Reading Society

September 6th—Topical discussion on Assisted Suicide

September12th—The Piano Tuner by Daniel Mason

October 4—Troll:  A Love Story by Johanna Sinisalo

October 10—The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafan