A Girl Undone
Page 30
And that is the moment I broke into a run.
From “Malibu: One Year Later”
New York Times, December 23
One year after Vice President Mark Jouvert was assassinated at the home of California Governor-elect Jessop Hawkins, the political landscape of the United States has shifted. Paternalist leaders are under fire, and many like former senator Harry Fletcher, the highest-ranking member of Congress, have resigned, facing allegations of influence peddling, kickbacks, and coercion of governmental and nongovernmental entities.
Much of this change is owed to two intrepid Washington Post reporters, Jay Fleming and Mustafa Homa, whose Pulitzer Prize–winning investigation into the self-immolation of Sparrow Currie on the U.S. Capitol grounds revealed Vice President Jouvert’s secret deals with the kingdom of Saudi Arabia that linked the deliberate, systematic curtailment of women’s rights in the U.S. to trillion-dollar, no-interest loans.
But credit is also due to the fearless action of Ms. Aveline Reveare, who at the Signing of her now-cancelled Contract with Governor-elect Hawkins posed for the media in the outfit now known as the Dress That Launched a Thousand Indictments …
The Paternalist Party has entered a period of self-examination, spurred in part by Jessop Hawkins’ attempts to lead a nationwide dialogue about the future of the party and to assist the political campaigns of young, reform-minded candidates …
While American colleges and universities have remained for the most part closed to women, California institutions Stanford, Pomona, and UC Berkeley have announced plans to reopen their campuses following the pledge of additional funds for student safety from Governor-elect Hawkins. Ms. Reveare is expected to join the Stanford freshmen class next fall.…
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. Do you think it was selfish or selfless of Avie to leave Yates at the hospital when the police arrived?
2. Avie hesitates about carrying the evidence against the Paternalists. Do you sympathize with her? What would you do in her situation?
3. Avie and Luke are helped by numerous strangers during their journey, but by accepting help, they put innocent people in danger. Do you feel Avie and Luke are justified in doing this?
4. Streicker smuggles girls to Canada for money, while Father Gabriel does it because it’s morally right. If both risk their lives to save girls from unwanted marriages, aren’t they both heroes?
5. Why do you think Avie stays with Luke when she’s convinced they can’t succeed in getting the evidence to Maggie’s contacts in Washington?
6. Avie finds herself pulled between her first love, Yates, who she may never see again, and Luke, who offers her love and a future in the mountains. Who do you think Avie should be with and why?
7. On this part of her journey, Avie witnesses girls being auctioned in various ways. How do these auctions differ, and which are better or worse for girls?
8. Avie is forced to choose again and again whether to save herself, save someone she loves, or fight for a cause greater than herself. When does she make good calls, and when does she make the wrong choices?
9. Why does Avie blame herself for what Zara does to her father? What do you feel Avie could have done differently?
10. When Avie arrives at Hawkins’ compound she thinks she has him figured out, but she discovers things about him she never expected. What were you surprised to learn about him? Did it change your opinion of him?
11. Avie’s mother once told her, “Loss makes some people more human, and others less.” How has loss affected the main characters in the story?
12. Helen, aka Sigmund Rath, tells Hawkins that “Fashion is message.” What are some of the ways that clothing is used to communicate ideas in the story?
13. When Hawkins retrieves Avie, she’s not the same girl he first met. How is Avie different, and how does that affect their relationship?
14. In the final chapter, Avie suspects that Deeps and Helen/Sigmund might have been partners in more ways than one. What does she suspect and why?
15. As the book ends, the author leaves hints about the futures of Avie, Yates, Luke, and Hawkins. What do you imagine their futures will be in a few years?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
CATHERINE LINKA was almost thrown out of boarding school for being “too verbal.” Fortunately, she learned to channel her outspokenness and creative energy into writing. A passionate traveler who has visited Iceland, the Amazon, and the Arctic Circle, Catherine has seen five types of whales in the wild, but no orcas. Yet. She doesn’t believe in fate, but she did fall in love with her husband on their first date when he laced up her boots because she had a broken hand.
Visit her Web site at www.catherinelinka.com. You can sign up for email updates here.
ALSO BY CATHERINE LINKA
A GIRL CALLED FEARLESS
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Contents
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
Acknowledgments
Southern Idaho, December
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Streicker
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Retrieved
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Signing Day
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Discussion Questions
About the Author
Also by Catherine Linka
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
A GIRL UNDONE. Copyright © 2015 by Catherine Linka. All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.
www.stmartins.com
COVER DESIGN BY DANIELLE CHRISTOPHER
COVER PHOTOGRAPHS: BACKGROUND © MARK KRAPELS/ SHUTTERSTOCK; GIRL ©KOCHNEVA TETYANA/SHUTTERSTOCK; GLASS © ILYA ANDRIYANOV/SHUTTERSTOCK
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The Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available upon request.
ISBN 978-1-250-06867-5 (hardcover)
ISBN 978-1-250-03932-3 (e-book)
e-ISBN 9781250039323
First Edition: June 2015
a, A Girl Undone