What Happened to the Bennetts

At the end of the novel, Jason claims that there are good bad men and bad good men. Choose an example of each from the novel and explain why one is “good bad” and one is “bad good.”

How does Jason define the difference between law and justice?

Identify two kinds of families (broadly defined) in the novel. Compare what binds them together.

Jason eventually decides that “playing it safe” is not enough to keep his family together. How does the novel construct “playing it safe” as a negative trait?

Jason takes oaths seriously, both his marriage vows and his oath as a court reporter. Choose an oath implied by the novel that another character broke. How does their breaking an oath define their character as you understand it?

How does the novel construct heroism? Who besides Jason would you consider to be the most heroic and why?

Choose either the symbol of the Blue Heron or the ghost forest. How does Scottoline’s use of this symbol change the way you think of a character?

Different characters grieve in different ways. Choose two characters and compare the way they grieve the loss of a family member or partner.