Barking Madness (Hill) - Discussion Questions

Discussion Questions
1.  What did you think of the book Barking Madness? Were you engaged immediately, or did it take you a while to "get into it?" Did you find the beginning build up too slow or did you enjoy it?

2. Describe Rosetta and Michael's personality traits, motivations, inner qualities. Describe the dynamics between the main characters Rosetta and Michael. What is the relationship between Michael and Kyle? Do you admire or disapprove of them? Do they remind you of people you know or knew in high school? Can you believe that I wrote this as a senior in high school? Would it surprise you if I told you these characters are loosely based on people I know?

3. How has the past shaped Rosetta's and Michael's life? What lies ahead for Rosetta and Michael?

4. What are Rosetta and Michael's family dynamics like? Do they come from loving or dysfunctional families? Or a combination of both?

5. Do the main characters change by the end of the book? Do they grow or mature? Do they learn something about themselves and how the world works?

6. Is the plot engaging—does the story interest you? Is this a plot-driven book: a fast-paced page-turner? Or does the story unfold slowly with a focus on character development? Were you surprised by the plot's complications? Or did you find it predictable, even formulaic? Did the end leave you questioning what you read?

7. About the book's structure, does the time-line move forward chronologically...or back and forth between past and present? Does the author use a single viewpoint or shifting viewpoints? Why might the author have chosen to tell the story the way he did—and what difference does it make in the way you read or understand it? Did you enjoy the way it was written?

8. What main ideas—themes—does the author explore? (Consider the title, often a clue to a theme.) Did the title work with the storyline? Did you agree with the title?

9.  What passages strike you as insightful, even profound? Perhaps a bit of dialog that's funny or poignant or that encapsulates a character? Maybe there's a particular comment that states the book's thematic concerns? Did you like the sarcastic, dark relationship between Michael and Kyle and Rose and Rosetta?

10. Is the ending satisfying? If so, why? If not, why not...and how would you change it?

11. If you could ask the author a question, what would you ask?

12. Has this novel been one that you've reflected back on? Do you agree with the way the teenagers in this book are portrayed? Are you empathetic to them? Is it believable? Do you think it's possible for teens to have lives this complicated? Is this a real world book or complete fantasy? Should it be classified as Psychological Thriller, Paranormal, or both?
(Questions courtesy of the author.)

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