Discussion Questions
1. From the first moment he hears of her, Hugo is conflicted about the concept of a "savage girl." What draws him to her and what troubles him specifically?
2. How does Bronwyn benefit, if at all, from being adopted by the Delegates?
3. Hugo is an anatomy student at Harvard. What role does this knowledge play throughout the story?
4. Freddy Delegate is said to "collect" people. Who does he collect and for what purpose?
5. How does the Delegates’ wealth protect them? How does it hurt them?
6. There are overt references in Savage Girl to Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. What other literary parallels could you draw between this story and others?
7. Delegate is not sure whether he committed the murder of Bev Willets because of his memory lapses, diagnosed as neurasthenia. What sort of diagnosis might he be given today?
8. Zmmerman finds contemporary themes in her historic story, such as the concentration of wealth among the select few and a tabloid celebrity culture. What are some other themes that might resonate with today’s readers?
9. One of the great moments of the Gilded Age was the emergence of Darwin’s theory and the question of nature versus nurture. How does the book explore this issue, and what is your own personal belief?
10. Hugo’s mental health issues make him something of an unreliable narrator at times. Where in the story did you most question his version of reality?
11. What does the future hold for Hugo and Bronwyn at the book’s end?
(Questions issued by the publisher.)
Savage Girl (Zimmerman) - Discussion Questions
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