Byrne’s Comments (group member since Jul 09, 2013)

Byrne’s comments from the The Quirke Discussion Group group.

1. Describe Deirdre's interest in Hakeem Kreutz, as compared to her interest Leslie White. What draws her to each of them?

2. "Why did he persist in coming here like this?" Quirke wonders about his own visits to the Judge. "Surely no one would blame him if he stayed away altogether and left the dying man to his angry solitude." Why does Quirke continue visiting, considering all that has happened between them?

3. "Do nothing, his better judgement told him; stay on dry land. But he knew he would dive, headfirst into the depths. Something in him yearned for the darkness down there." What is it in Quirke that pushes him toward the darkness? Does he find any relief in this story? Would he be better off ignoring his impulse?

4. Why do you think Kreutz's story of the girl brought back from the dead(page 61) makes such an impression on Dierdre? How does it relate to what we learn about her life?

5. Describe the relationship between Quirke and Hackett. Do the two like each other? What do they have in common?

6. Why do you think Phoebe gets involved with Leslie White? What is she hoping will happen between them?

7. Do you think Deirdre loves Leslie? If not, how would you characterize her feelings for him?

8. What effect do you think Phoebe's complicated parentage(the discovery of her real father; the role of Malachy and Sarah) has on her behavior in the novel? Do you see any connection between those effects and the effect on Quirke of being an orphan?

9. Look at the exchange between Rose and Phoebe on page 165 in which Phoebe tells Rose she admires her. What do you think she admires about Rose? And what does Rose mean when, in response, she says to Phoebe, "You certainly are your father's daughter"?

10. Do you think the relationship between Quirke and Kate is a healthy one? What brings them together? What do they get from each other?

11. Is Quirke a good father to Phoebe? How do you think he should be handling his role with her?

12. Why does Quirke fall off the wagon at the end of the story?

Discussion Questions from the back of the book.

1. "In secret," the author writes, "Quirke prized his loneliness as a mark of some distinction."(p. 12). What does Quirke's loneliness do for him? How does it make possible what he ultimately accomplishes in the story? Is Quirke's isolation part of what allows him to see the truth about the conspiracy around him?

2. What does Crawford mean when he says to Quirke that America is "the New World," that "This is the place. God's country." How are Ireland and America treated differently in the novel? How do these portrayals relate to the current America and Ireland?

3. Do the revelations about Quirke, Phoebe, and what he knew about their relationship change your perception of how he treated her earlier in the novel? Why do you think Quirke kept the secret so long of who her parents were? Was it the right decision?

4. Early in the novel, Quirke is thinking about his wife, Delia: "Perhaps he had cared for her more than he knew, had cared for what she was, that is, and not just what she had been to him." How do these two different types of caring come into play for other characters in the novel? Do you think they are always distinct from each other? Are some people capable only of one or the other?

5. What do you think of the overall portrait of the Catholic Church that emerges from the novel? Did you find the conspiracy plausible? Did you feel sympathy for the nuns, the Staffords, and other less powerful figures who were complicit in it?

6. Consider the difference between Quirke's early childhood, first in a brutal orphanage and then in an adoptive home, and Mal's as the natural-born son of a wealthy father who loved him less than his brother. How do you think their respective childhoods can be connected to the decisions they make in their relationships in this story?

7. What role does social class play in the novel?

8. Why do you think Quirke sleeps with Rose? Is she right when she tells him, "You're more like me than your precious Sarah. A cold heat and a hot soul. . ."

9. What do you think drew Quirke and Sarah together initially? Do you think they were better off having stayed apart throughout the years, despite an acknowledged love for each other?

10. Quirke realizes midway through the novel that as "Mr. Punch and fat Judy" were beating him, the prospect of his own death was insignificant, that "he had thought he was going to die and was surprised at how little he feared the prospect." Is this a sign of bravery in Quirke, or despair, or both? Do you think his own life matters more or less to him by the end of the novel?

11. At the end of chapter 28 a nun says to Quirke, "From the little I've seen of you, you're a good man, if only you knew it." Do you agree with her assessment? What does she mean by, "if only you knew it."? Would knowing it change his behavior?

12. What do you imagine happening afer the end of the book? How will Quirke's relationship to his family evolve, including to Sarah and Phoebe? Have the events in this story made him a happier man, a better man? Or have they changed him for the worse?