Book Club Discussion Guide | It’s Always 9/11

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1. What values transcend ideology? Do you think the difference between “liberal” and “conservative” is rendered irrelevant in the novel?

2. What impact does Tessa’s near miss on 9/11 have on her psyche? Does she think she’s been given a second life?

3. Do you think we’re already living in an Orella world?

4. Guns are almost their own character in the novel. What impact do you think a gun has on its owner?

5. There’s a point where Tessa realizes, albeit subconsciously, that Holden has the gun, but she does nothing about it. Do you feel she is complicit in Kaspar’s assassination?

6. Why does Tessa break up with Ryan and go with Larry? What does Larry “get” that Ryan does not?

7. Several times Tessa refers to “beauty and destruction with the same face.” How does this play out in the novel?

8. Of all the characters in the novel, who do you think is most likely to turn Tessa, Larry, and Holden in to the authorities?

9. What do you think is going to happen to Tessa, Larry, and Holden at the end of the book? What about their family and friends? What about the country? Will chaos lead to order?

10. Why is it always 9/11?