Discussion Questions
1. What is the Lowcountry and how important is it to the story of Sullivan's Island?
2. What is the Gullah culture and how did it impact the psyche of Susan Hamilton Hayes and her siblings? And, did Livvie Singleton's legacy have an impact on Susan's daughter, Beth?
3. Would you say that it was better to have come of age in the sixties or the nineties and what are the principal differences in those decades from Susan's point of view. Is she right?
4. Susan makes a claim that the world has been made better and safer by the people of her generation. What do you think?
5. Susan's relationship with Livvie is a powerful one as is her relationship with her own mother. Would you say that her mother's weakness was as valuable to her as Livvie's strength? And, would you describe Livvie and Susan's mother, MC as frustrated by their positions in life?
6. Susan's father, Hank is a complicated man. Would you say that, if he were a young parent today, that he could be convicted of child abuse? And, why didn't Marvin Struthers have him arrested for it in 1963? How have attitudes changed about parent's rights to discipline their children?
7. Susan's grandfather, Tipa is a classic example of a southern gentleman of his day. Was his bigotry understandable for the early 1960's? Discuss how the love Susan felt for Livvie grew against the narrow mindedness of her grandfather. Do you think that she loved her grandfather and indeed, did she love her parents?
8. Should Susan have taken Tom back? How realistic is forgiveness and reconciliation in the face of blatant adultery of Tom's variety? How well did she handle explaining it to Beth and then coping with her relationship with Tom and Beth?
9. Why did Simon Rifkin play such a long lasting role in Susan's life? Was she naïve about him or were they fated to be together? Is there such a thing as fate?
10 Is it dangerous to love someone with limits on the amount of affection and loyalty you intend to allot them? What happens when Susan and Maggie talk about being stingy with affection and commitment?
11. The south is known for its ghost stories and tales of the inexplicable. Do you think that the mirror described in Sullivan's Island was believable? And, if not, who among you has had something happen that defied scientific explanation?
12. How critical is complete truth in a marriage? Is anyone ever completely honest with someone who holds the immediate stability and the near future in their hands? When is lying permissible? And, when a lie is exposed, how forgiving are you?
(Questions issued by publisher.)
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