Readers' Group Questions - My Sister's Keeper - By Jodi Picoult 03/09/09

Readers’ Group Questions – My Sister’s Keeper By Jodi Picoult

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. Summarise the plot: this is a story about two sisters . . . OR this is a story about two parents . . . OR . . .
2. Who, in your opinion, is the central character in the book? e.g. Sara, the mother; Kate, the dying daughter; Anna, the designer baby sibling?
3. What – in three or four words for each - do you think are the themes of the book i.e. the overall message(s): medical emancipation (the right to make decisions in respect of your own body); the wonders of medical science; the sanctity of life; the Wisdom of Solomon?
4. What is your opinion about the rights and wrongs of sibling saviours?
5. Did you feel there were any correlations with the Christian story of salvation? If so, how? If not, in what way does it differ?
6. For which character(s) did you feel most the most empathy? Why?
7. Fire – lighting and fighting, and stargazing, were the enduring motifs of the book. Why do you think that was?
8. How did the sub-plots – i.e. the storylines from the supporting cast – Brian, the dad; Jesse, the son; Campbell, the lawyer; and Julia, the Social Worker – support or contrast with the overall themes?
9. There were two twists at the end. Can you identify them?
10. Did they surprise you? Did they give you a sense of satisfaction / completion? Or were you disappointed? What do you think the author was trying to say here? Was she fulfilling her theme?