Conversations
My hope is that Clockwise is a thought-provoking book as well as an enjoyable one. Below are some questions that I wrote to facilitate book club discussions, chats with friends, or individual musings. If the questions prompt a connection or two between the book and your own life experiences, I’ll be delighted. To print or download the questions, follow the link.
PDF of Discussion Questions (64K)
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Clockwise
by Susan Borden
Discussion Questions
What glimmers of strength does Claire display in Chapters 1-5 despite her ill health?
What are the earliest hints of supernatural activity associated with the clock?
What does Scout’s visit to Claire’s home in Chapters 4 and 5 suggest about their relationship?
What roles do Lute, Tamsin, and Kipper play in the book? Would you miss them if they weren’t included?
Does the friendship between Claire and Margo prosper mainly because of their differences or in spite of them? Why do you think this?
What new doorways does Sarah open for Claire?
In what ways is Kate still present in the book despite her passing before it begins?
Readers meet Gus and David via the phone before these characters actually appear in person. Do any aspects of their attitudes and behavior surprise you once they arrive in Minnesota?
Does Gus’s inability to help Claire with the clock’s mystery alter your opinion of him?
What does the trip to the fair reveal about Claire’s family members and her relationships with them?
What indications do you see that Claire’s health is returning?
What significance do you see in the telephones and phone conversations of Clockwise?
How do Claire’s mealtimes change over the course of the book?
What’s your reaction to the story Claire tells her father about the troubled student who was cutting herself?
In what way is Claire haunted by her experiences as a teacher?
How much responsibility do you think Claire should shoulder for the robbery?
In what ways does her second meeting with Walter, the owner of the antique shop, bring up new perspectives? In what ways does it echo their meeting on the day that Claire purchased the clock?
How does the theme of accidents relate to the last chapters of Clockwise?
Which of the possibilities for the ghosts’ connection to the clock (Chapter 25) seem most plausible to you? Why?
Does the book have a happy ending, in your opinion? Why do you think so?
© 2020 by Susan Borden
SusanBordenWriter.com
