Shallow Breath (30 page)

Reading Group Questions

1. The shoutline of the book is ‘How far would you go to save someone you love?’. How did this resonate for you within the novel?
   
2. What does the pearl necklace symbolise?
   
3. Why do you think the author chose to put in one chapter towards the end of the book from Connor’s perspective, when most of the information is found elsewhere or could easily have been added?
   
4. Discuss Luke’s character and his role within the story.
   
5. Who was your favourite character? Which characters did you feel the most sympathetic towards, and why?
   
6. How did you feel about the decisions the characters made towards the end of the book? Are their actions justified? Is it ever okay to do something wrong if it makes something right?
   
7. ‘
   The thing that makes you is the thing that breaks you
   .’ What do you think of Pete’s comment, and how does it apply to the story?
   
8. Did you like the introduction of a new ‘voice’ in each part? Why do you think the author did this?
   
9. At the beginning of each part there is a short,
   italicised section from an unidentified perspective. How do you think these short pieces contribute to the novel? What effect would it have on the story if they were removed?
   
10. What did you think of the ending? What feelings does this book leave you with?
    

About the Author

Sara Foster lives in Western Australia with her husband and young daughter. She divides her time between writing, book editing and being a mum. Her passions include the natural world, photography and travel. She is the author of three novels COME BACK TO ME, BENEATH THE SHADOWS and SHALLOW BREATH. To find out more about Sara and her writing visit:
www.sarafoster.com.au