Discussion Questions for Shadows Hold Their Breath

1.    Kat’s grief is a driving force in the novel. How does grief impact the decisions Kat makes throughout the novel? Beyond Beth’s death, what other events add to Kat’s grief?

2.    The decision to leave her children makes it hard to like Kat. Even if you can’t condone Kat’s decision, can you understand why Kat leaves? Why or why not?

3.    Kat’s father is a minister, which makes her mother very concerned with appearances in their community. How does this religious background impact Kat and the decisions she makes? What are Kat’s feelings about religion and spirituality?

4.    Kat’s friendship with Molly begins because Molly reminds Kat of Beth. Does the friendship ever become more than this tangential connection to Beth?  

5.    What role does art in its various forms play in the novel? How does the making of pottery function as a metaphor for Kat’s life?

6.    Kat often compares her relationship with Wyatt to the relationship she had with David. How do you compare these relationships based on the information available in Shadows Hold Their Breath? If you’ve read Kat’s (Mary Catherine) story in Echo Her Lovely Bones, does that add to your understanding of Kat’s relationship to David?

7.    Most of the novel is set in the Smoky Mountains. How does nature, particularly the river and the mountains, operate in the novel? How does nature help Kat heal?

8.    Even though Luna was Wyatt’s dog, Kat and Luna develop a special bond. Discuss how this relationship develops and what it means to Kat.

9.    Kat leads her new community to believe she fled from an emotionally abusive husband, and then she comes face to face with Molly’s husband, Jake, who is in fact physically and emotionally abusive. What do Kat’s actions regarding Jake’s abuse reveal about her?

10. Beth looms large in the novel, even though she never has direct interaction with any of the characters. How do Beth’s letters influence your understanding of Beth and of Kat? What do you make of the relationship between Kat and Beth?

11. Pony becomes a mentor and a father figure for Kat. Discuss their relationship and how that relationship shapes Kat’s journey toward self-awareness.

12. Through Wyatt, music factors in the story. In what ways does the music help establish the time and setting of the novel? What other ways does the music further the story?

13. Has Kat found any peace or redemption by the end of the story?