NOS4A2
discussion
Discussion Questions
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I don't remember a time when Vic's power didn't cause her pain. It got worse each time she used it, as did Maggie's problem.
1. Victoria McQueen is not like other kids. She's good at finding things - all sorts of things. What is the first thing that Vicki finds when using the Shorter Way Bridge? Do you think there is a reason for that being the first item she finds?
2. Eventually Vicki discovers she's not the only person with her ability as it were. A woman named Maggie can divine answers in Scrabble games. A man named Charles kidnaps children and takes them away to Christmasland. Do you think the fact that Vicki is no longer "alone" change how she views what she can do? Do you think it makes her more or less special?
3. What stands out about Vicki's meeting with Maggie versus her meeting with Charles? Do you think both meetings contribute to her abandoning her ability as an adult?
4. Does Charles Manx ever lie?
5. Would this story have suffered if Vicki had been Victor? Does having a strong female lead change the tone of the story? Would a male lead have done things differently?
6. What part does Lou serve in all of this? As Wayne's father, does he affect the story in a large part?
7. One reviewer compared Bing to Renfield in the story Dracula. In your opinion, does Bing serve a purpose other than assistant? Is he central to the story or merely a piece of it?
8. In a way Charles' car and Vicki's bicycle and (later) motorcycle become characters of their own. While comparable to the idea of the car in Steven King's Christine, do the vehicles reflect their owners in any way?
9. Clearly Vicki, Maggie, Bing and Charles all have problems that can't be wiped away or blamed on what they can do. Hill suggests that their problems are reflections of what they can do. Is that too easy of an explanation for what would amount to mental illness?
10. Vicki is a graduate of the Lisbeth Salander Charm School. Is this her adjustment to her ability or how she really would have been without it?
11. One plot inconsistency exists. In the beginning Vicki suffered horrible pain while using her ability. Later she appeared to be in no pain. However Maggie was the opposite. Can you explain this? Or how did you explain it to yourself if you noticed?
12. Joe Hill describes NOS4A2 as his "senior PhD thesis on horror." It's "about a very bad man with a very bad car." Is the story really about Charles? Or is it about Vicki?