8. Why do you think the author chose not to identify who was writing the journal until the end of the novel? Would knowing his identity from the start change your view of him and his actions? Why or why not? What do you make of the narrator’s capitalization of his condition? What do you think his condition is?

9. Guilt is a major theme throughout the novel. Evaluate the role of guilt in the lives of the characters. What are the characters guilty of? How do the characters deal with their guilt? Does it compel them to try and right past wrongs, or make them more culpable? Is the guilt justifiable? Explain.

10. Many know the Christmas carol Good King Wenceslas, but most aren’t aware that the song is based on a real-life figure from history. Saint Wenceslaus was a martyr and is the patron saint of Bohemia. Straitley says, “And now, Charlie Nutter, whose middle name—Wenceslas—he managed to hide so completely from both his peers and his masters during his time at St. Oswald’s, and whose ghost still appears as that thin, nervous boy I overlooked so easily . . .” Discuss the significance of Charlie’s middle name. Find examples in the novel of Charlie fulfilling the role of a martyr.

11. Eric asks Straitley, “How well do we really know our friends?” Discuss the significance of this conversation and the affect it has on their friendship going forward. What do you think of Eric and his actions?

12. Evaluate the ending of the book. Were you satisfied with what happened to the characters and how the story ended? If you could write the ending, what might you have done differently?

Enhance Your Book Club

1. The author tells us what Ziggy was feeling the first time he heard Pink Floyd: “And all the songs titles were named after animals; “Pigs”; “Sheep”; “Dogs.” That one was my favorite. “Dogs.” I felt like someone had opened up a dirty window in my mind.” Think back to the first time you heard your favorite song and discuss how that experience made you feel. How were you introduced to the song? What was the name of the song? How many times did you replay the song? When was the last time you heard the song? How have your feelings changed since that first time?

2. Grab your journal, or, if you don’t have one, take a few sheets of paper and write a letter to your teenage self. What lessons would you share? What advice would you give?

3. Discuss your favorite teacher. What do you remember most about that teacher? What subject did they teach? How did they inspire you?