OK, guys, here are the questions.  Sorry- too many in the end, but there it is.  Thanks for your patience.  My address is 18 George St, Wandin North.  Our drive is opposite Meadow Court, and given the road works, that is not a bad place to park. Hope to see you tonight!

1.      When Fred sees his friend, Tom, struggling with his walker in the heat, he watches but takes no action. What other times in Fred’s life does this occur, and what are the implications? Does this “holding back/ wait and see” approach happen to any other characters?

2.      Is Katie’s experience with the overdose on alcohol pivotal to the story and, if so, does our later knowledge of Martha and Ralph’s relationship put a different spin on Katie’s problems?

3.      At one point, Fred says “A theoretical bridge is perfect, the real bridge is a different matter.  What if the calculation of a load is flawed? I became an expert on disasters…..”. When Fred discusses his unit at the retirement village as being a bridge between his real life and death, is the calculation of the load flawed? Is life a case of “the best laid plans…?”

4.      At one point Fred questions whether anyone truly looks back on their life and can say, “I wouldn’t change a thing”.  What do you think about this notion?

5.      Were you surprised about the relationship between Martha and Ralph?  Do you think this has implications on the plot? How is Martha an important character?

6.      Do you think Fred’s expectations of his family are too high?  Is the conflict he has with Callum about the soccer final realistic behaviour?

7.      Is it possible that Fred’s experience with the dolphin is an analogy of his experience with Virgil?  Did you think at any stage that either the dolphin or Virgil were figments of Fred’s imagination?

8.      Jan expresses to Fred that “Possessions can possess you” – What do you think of Fred’s obsession with objects?  We tend to spend our lives collecting things, and becoming curators of the collections of others- why? At some point in life many people stop collecting and start “decluttering”?  When and why?

9.      Caroline also questions Fred’s values in this regard, saying to her father, “keeping isn’t value”.  What is she trying to say?

10.   At one point Fred comes to understand that he doesn’t like being alone.  Do other characters reflect a sense of loneliness?

11.   Why do you think Caroline’s sense of identity so conflicted? Does the strength of her relationship with her mother falter when she finds out about Martha’s affair?  How are the themes of adoption and abandonment important to the story?

12.   The author writes of Caroline that, “she learned from her mother that in the absence of a real career, a woman had to make things up for herself.”  Do you agree?

13.   Why does Caroline think she is “close to extinction” at the age of 37?  Do you hope she has a child as she desires?

14.   In Caroline’s conversation with Richard, they discuss the nature of destiny.  She says that Fred always thought it was his destiny to be an engineer, but he had hoped to be an architect originally.  Did Fred’s unfulfilled desire fuel Callum’s decision to become an architect?  Are we all influenced by our parent’s unfulfilled dreams?  What implications might that have for our kids?

15.   Does meeting Callum’s carer change Fred’s views on family, or anything else?

16.   Do you feel hopeful for Fred, Jan, Morrison and Callum in their new home? 

17.   Do you feel there is adequate resolution in the story? Is the ending satisfying? 

18.   Do you think your approach to life and/or behaviour with family and friends would be likely to change as a result of reading this story?