QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

  1. As you will discover if you search the Internet for information on chimeras, the central concept of this novel is quite real. Did this situation seem far-fetched as you read the story? What do you think about the human soul and where it resides?
  2. Erin is an abused wife. If you were on the jury, would the history of her marriage make you more or less likely to believe she killed her husband? Would you see the abuse as a reason…or a defense?
  3. Angela Hunt reports that she gained a new appreciation for lawyers while working on this book. Despite the popularity of television legal dramas, the art of examining a witness is complicated. Did your appreciation for lawyers change after reading this novel?
  4. Briley is a good lawyer, but at the beginning of the story she wants to maintain a careful emotional distance from her client. What happens to convince her to begin to bridge that gap? How is she different at the end of the story?
  5. Erin also changes over the course of the book. If she remarries, what sort of man do you think she will choose?
  6. Why do you think Briley is attracted to Timothy Shackelford?
  7. Do you think Briley will be more or less happy working in the prosecutor’s office?
  8. What were some of the themes in the novel? Are these themes relevant to your life? A year from now, will this story still resonate with you? Why or why not?
  9. Would you say this novel is plot-driven (the plot moving the characters forward) or character-driven (the characters driving the plot)? What were the turning points for each of the major characters, and what might have happened if they had chosen the opposite path?
  10. With which character—Briley or Erin—do you most identify, and why? How did their histories make them into the women they are? How will their lives influence each other’s in the future?
  11. Could this story have worked in another setting? Why do you think the author chose to set the novel in Chicago?
  12. Have you read other novels by Angela Hunt? How does this novel echo themes in her other works? How does it differ?