Why is the title “Prayers and Lies”?
Bethany starts out with a very naïve, Sunday school kind of belief in God. And that belief gets strained to the breaking point when bad things happen that she cannot rationalize or understand. In the end, I think, she comes to a more nuanced, shades-of-gray kind of faith. In the end, I guess most of us do.
Any advice for aspiring writers?
Write! I am living proof that a first novel can get published!
A READING GROUP GUIDE
PRAYERS AND LIES
Sherri Wood Emmons
ABOUT THIS GUIDE
The suggested questions are included to enhance your group’s reading of Sherri Wood Emmons’s Prayers and Lies.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Is there a villain in the story? Who is the villain? Is there anything that makes his or her actions understandable? Is that character redeemable?
Aunt Belle explains to Reana Mae and Bethany that Helen’s family carries “bad blood.” What is the bad blood? How might it be diagnosed today?
Does knowing about the bad blood change the way you view Tracy?
Do Helen and Jimmy bear responsibility for Tracy’s death? What could they have done to prevent it?
Did Jolene have a right to know who her father was? Should Helen have told her? Why or why not?
Is there any good in the relationship between Reana Mae and Caleb? What good would that be?
Why did Reana Mae have sex with Harley Boy on the day of Araminta’s funeral? What does her decision say about her attitude toward sex?
How might the story have changed if Jolene had not lost her baby?
What responsibility does Bobby Lee bear for Reana Mae’s relationship with Caleb?
Were Harley Boy, Ruthann, and Bethany right to keep quiet after they found out about Reana Mae and Caleb? Should they have told their parents the truth?
What role does Neil play in the story?
Why is the book titled Prayers and Lies? Is there a faith element to the story?
Why is the story told from Bethany’s perspective? Is that an effective narrative device? How might the story be different if it were told in the third person?
Was moving Reana Mae to Indianapolis the right decision for her? Was it the right decision for the rest of the family?
What enabled Helen to rise above the circumstances of her childhood and become a sane, loving mother?
Given the family history of “bad blood,” is it irresponsible for Bethany to choose to have a child?
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. Is there a villain in the story? Who is the villain? Is there anything that makes his or her actions understandable? Is that character redeemable?
2. Aunt Belle explains to Reana Mae and Bethany that Helen’s family carries “bad blood.” What is the bad blood? How might it be diagnosed today?
3. Does knowing about the bad blood change the way you view Tracy?
4. Do Helen and Jimmy bear responsibility for Tracy’s death? What could they have done to prevent it?
5. Did Jolene have a right to know who her father was? Should Helen have told her? Why or why not?
6. Is there any good in the relationship between Reana Mae and Caleb? What good would that be?
7. Why did Reana Mae have sex with Harley Boy on the day of Araminta’s funeral? What does her decision say about her attitude toward sex?
8. How might the story have changed if Jolene had not lost her baby?
9. What responsibility does Bobby Lee bear for Reana Mae’s relationship with Caleb?
10. Were Harley Boy, Ruthann, and Bethany right to keep quiet after they found out about Reana Mae and Caleb? Should they have told their parents the truth?
11. What role does Neil play in the story?
12. Why is the book titled Prayers and Lies? Is there a faith element to the story?
13. Why is the story told from Bethany’s perspective? Is that an effective narrative device? How might the story be different if it were told in the third person?
14. Was moving Reana Mae to Indianapolis the right decision for her? Was it the right decision for the rest of the family?
15. What enabled Helen to rise above the circumstances of her childhood and become a sane, loving mother?
16. Given the family history of “bad blood,” is it irresponsible for Bethany to choose to have a child?
Prayers and Lies Page 32