60 pages • 2 hours read
Stacey AbramsWhile Justice Sleeps
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2021A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Essay Topics
The book’s title, While Justice Sleeps, seems to refer to the “sleeping” Justice Wynn, a Supreme Court Justice who puts himself in a coma. However, it can also be seen as a commentary on the nature of corruption—which is allowed to run rampant if justice is “sleeping,” or not paying attention. How does the book highlight the dangers of a “sleeping” justice system?
Loyalty is a major theme throughout the book, exemplified by Avery’s character. Discuss the different types of loyalty seen in the narrative—e.g., familial, political (patriotism), professional—using examples.
The unethical research described in While Justice Sleeps is rooted in a real-world conflict—that between the Muslim and Hindu people in India, which was partitioned by the British in 1947, separating the two populations by herding them into the remaining portion of India and the newly created Pakistan, respectively. Why might the author choose this real-world context as the backdrop? What does it add to the narrative?
The book includes numerous minor characters who serve simply to fulfill a more senior character’s needs or wants, such as Major William Vance, Jamie Lewis, Phillips, and Castillo. What argument is the book making about power and corruption through the inclusion of these replaceable “cogs in the machine”? Consider what this dynamic articulates about corruption and power.
Explore the interplay between the media and politics seen in the book. What argument is the book making about corruption and the media’s involvement in reporting or obscuring it? Consider, for example, the smear campaign against Avery and her mother.
While Justice Sleeps is written from the point of view of an omniscient third-person narrator. What does this perspective lend to the narrative? Why did the author choose this point of view instead of, for example, the perspective of Avery?
The book includes a subplot surrounding Avery’s relationship with Jared, suggesting a growing romantic connection. What’s the purpose of this subplot? Why include it? Avery and Jared could just as well simply have teamed up to crack the case surrounding Justice Wynn. Why might the author want to add this romantic subplot?
