1.
What do you think of Emil Brandt and his sister? Odd ducks,
damaged
2.
How would you describe Gus? What is the bond between Gus and
Nathan based on? What do you think was the event during the war that the two
refer to obliquely as they sit together in the darkened church.
3.
Discuss, in particular, Nathan's sermon after Ariel's death?
What are its theological implications? Does Nathan answer the question of
theodicy: if God is loving and all powerful, why do bad things to happen to
good people?
4.
Much of Frank and Jake’s knowledge comes from overhearing
and snooping. Which instance of eavesdropping provided them with the heaviest,
most important information? Is there a particular overheard conversation that
led most directly to the loss of their childhood innocence?
5.
Why is Ruth so angry with Nathan after Ariel disappears? How
would you respond to such a horrific loss: would you respond as Ruth does, in
anger? Or would you be more like Nathan?
6.
How would you define grace? What, specifically, does
"ordinary grace" refer to in the story, and what is the larger
religious significance of the term "ordinary grace"? Why is the grace
spoken by Jake so extraordinary...and how does it affect members of his
family? Though the title of the novel
refers to a particular “ordinary grace,” what other small graces did you find
in the book?
7.
Why does Ruth leave her family? Do you think she was truly
mad at Nathan? At God? Discuss the ways in which she and the other characters
deal with their grief over Ariel.
8.
Whom did you first suspect...and when did you begin to
suspect the real killer? What "red herrings" (false clues) does the
author put in the way to lead readers down the wrong path?
9.
Much of the book has to do with young Frank's attempt to
separate what he thinks he knows from what might (or might not) be the ultimate
truth. Have you even been in a position of "knowing" something with
certainty...and then learning that your judgment was wrong? How can we guard
ourselves against false accusations?
10.
What does Warren Redstone mean when he says to Frank,
"You've just killed me, white boy"? Why does Frank let Redstone
escape? Was Jake wrong to let Redstone get away? Should he have kept silent?
11.
Talk about Karl Brandt and how he dies—an accident...or
intentional?
12.
What do you think happened to Bobby Cole? Why might the
author have left that mystery unresolved?
13.
Do you agree with Frank’s insight in the epilogue that,
“there is no such thing as a true event?” What makes a story real? How do we
deal with varying perspectives and reflections of history?
14.
Do you think Frank had a responsibility to tell Emil about
Lise? Was there merit to Jake’s argument that her fenced-in estate was prison
enough? Do you forgive Emil for his moment of indiscretion? Is he in some way
to blame for everything that happened in New Bremen?
15.
What do you make of Gus? Is he in some ways the backbone
(though not a true relative) of the Drum family?
16.
Do you agree with the sentiment of the older Warren
Redstone? Is it true that the departed are never far from us?
Enhance Your Book Club
1. Tragedy and controversy will occasionally befall a small town like New Bremen. Has something similar ever happened in your town? Discuss the details of that incident, and how/if it changed things for you.
2. Much of our perspective in Ordinary Grace comes through Frank and Jake’s by-foot travels throughout town, through the hidden passages and remote clearings. Make a similar journey through your own neighborhood. What places are ripe for a secret? Where can you go for peace and meditation?
3. List and discuss the ordinary graces and miracles you’ve experienced. How do small moments help us deal with larger-than-life trouble?
4. Read any one of the novels in William Kent Krueger’s Cork O’Connor mystery series and discuss how the suspense of the Minnesota that O’Connor inhabits compares to the more pastoral mystery of the Drum family.
1. Tragedy and controversy will occasionally befall a small town like New Bremen. Has something similar ever happened in your town? Discuss the details of that incident, and how/if it changed things for you.
2. Much of our perspective in Ordinary Grace comes through Frank and Jake’s by-foot travels throughout town, through the hidden passages and remote clearings. Make a similar journey through your own neighborhood. What places are ripe for a secret? Where can you go for peace and meditation?
3. List and discuss the ordinary graces and miracles you’ve experienced. How do small moments help us deal with larger-than-life trouble?
4. Read any one of the novels in William Kent Krueger’s Cork O’Connor mystery series and discuss how the suspense of the Minnesota that O’Connor inhabits compares to the more pastoral mystery of the Drum family.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Krueger has said his favorite book is To Kill A Mockingbird. He grew up reading Ernest Hemingway, John Steinbeck, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and James T. Farrell. Most influential among these was Hemingway. In an interview for Shots magazine, Krueger described his admiration for Hemingway's prose: His prose is clean, his word choice perfect, his cadence precise and powerful. He wastes nothing. In Hemingway, what’s not said is often the whole point of a story. I like that idea, leaving the heart off the page so that the words, the prose itself, is the first thing to pierce you. Then the meaning comes. As a mystery genre writer, Krueger credits Tony Hillerman and James Lee Burke as his strongest influences. When Krueger decided to set the series in northern Minnesota, he realized that a large percentage of the population was of mixed ancestry. In college, Krueger had wanted to be a cultural anthropologist; he became intrigued by researching the Ojibwe culture and weaving the information into his books. Krueger's books are set in and around Native American reservations. The main character, Cork O'Connor is part Ojibwe, part Irish. Krueger has read the first Ojibwe historian, William Whipple Warren, as well as Francis Densmore, Gerald Vizenor and Basil Johnston. He has also read novels by Louise Erdrich and Jim Northrup. Krueger began to meet and get to know the Ojibwe people and remains fascinated by their culture. His descriptions are meant to express his characters' feelings about the settings. Krueger believes that the sense of place is made resonant by the actions and emotions of the characters within it. He describes it as "a dynamic bond that has the potential to heighten the drama of every scene." (From Wikipedia.)
Krueger has said his favorite book is To Kill A Mockingbird. He grew up reading Ernest Hemingway, John Steinbeck, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and James T. Farrell. Most influential among these was Hemingway. In an interview for Shots magazine, Krueger described his admiration for Hemingway's prose: His prose is clean, his word choice perfect, his cadence precise and powerful. He wastes nothing. In Hemingway, what’s not said is often the whole point of a story. I like that idea, leaving the heart off the page so that the words, the prose itself, is the first thing to pierce you. Then the meaning comes. As a mystery genre writer, Krueger credits Tony Hillerman and James Lee Burke as his strongest influences. When Krueger decided to set the series in northern Minnesota, he realized that a large percentage of the population was of mixed ancestry. In college, Krueger had wanted to be a cultural anthropologist; he became intrigued by researching the Ojibwe culture and weaving the information into his books. Krueger's books are set in and around Native American reservations. The main character, Cork O'Connor is part Ojibwe, part Irish. Krueger has read the first Ojibwe historian, William Whipple Warren, as well as Francis Densmore, Gerald Vizenor and Basil Johnston. He has also read novels by Louise Erdrich and Jim Northrup. Krueger began to meet and get to know the Ojibwe people and remains fascinated by their culture. His descriptions are meant to express his characters' feelings about the settings. Krueger believes that the sense of place is made resonant by the actions and emotions of the characters within it. He describes it as "a dynamic bond that has the potential to heighten the drama of every scene." (From Wikipedia.)
