Sixty Seconds

DISCUSSION GUIDE

•      Did you find the subject of the novel challenging? Were you prepared to follow the Brennan family’s emotional journey, knowing where it could lead?

•      Forgiveness is the main theme of this novel. Could you forgive someone for the death of a child in their care – even if it was by accident?

•      This story is told by three different characters: Finn, Bridget, and Jarrah. Did you find this effective? Was there one voice you liked better than the others, or one that you liked least? Why?

•      Bridget blames Finn for Toby’s accident. The law – society – also wants to find someone to blame. Is the urge to blame a universal one?

•      Finn thinks at one point: Was that what Sandra had meant? That in taking the blame for Bridget, he’d given her the harder task – of having to forgive him? Is that what Sandra meant? Is forgiveness the harder task?

•      Did you like the character of Bridget? Did you understand her withdrawal from Finn?

•      It is a revelation for Bridget when Jarrah tells her he saw Finn go round the back – not through the gate – on the day Toby drowned. Do you think this made her forgiveness possible?

•      Finn wants to sell their house; Bridget wants to transform it and the pool. Could you stay in the same house after such a tragedy?

•      Jarrah is suddenly propelled from being bullied to being part of the in-crowd at school because of the tragedy. Does this ring true to you?

•      Did you understand Jarrah’s fear about his love for Toby? Was he overthinking an entirely natural impulse?

•      How easy is it for young people to come out as gay in 2017? Is Jarrah’s fear and uncertainty understandable?

•      What do you think about the novel’s ending? What does it mean for you?

•      Did reading the author’s note about her own family change anything about how you responded to the novel? Does it make a difference knowing the author has experienced something similar to the events of the story?