“How horribly hard it is to be a Christian!” thinks Carta on page 191. What does she mean by this statement, and who in the book might echo it? In what ways does Carta struggle with her own spirituality? How does she view her faith as something to work for, rather than simply experience? Have you ever had a similar struggle?
Why does Gavin want to attend Richard’s funeral? How does his presence there throw the other events of the book in motion? Do you think his life—and the lives of others in the book—would have been different had he stayed away?
St. Benet’s plays an important role in The Heartbreaker. What does this healing center represent to those who take comfort there? Do you have a similar place in your life? What is it?
“What’s so foolish about wanting to be loved?” asks Richard on page 12. How does the search for love inform not only his character’s actions but also those of Carta, Gavin, Gil, and others? How does love damage each of these individuals? How does it improve their characters?
Do you think that Elizabeth ever truly cared about Gavin? What about Elizabeth initially attracts Gavin to her? In turn, what about Elizabeth might have compelled Carta’s husband Kim?
Gavin refers to Jesus as “The Bloke.” What does this word evoke to you? Why is Gavin cavalier in his attitude toward Christianity, and how does his mindset change as the novel unfolds? Who are the biggest influences in this transformation?
Gavin nicknames most people—from Carta to Nicholas to Jesus Christ. What compels him to do so? What do you think Carta or Nicholas might have nicknamed Gavin?
What characteristics do the holy men in this novel—Richard, Lewis, and Gil—share in common? How do their approaches to ministry differ? What is your impression of their personal lives?
Each of the three ministers in the book has an effect on Gavin. How does Nicholas’s initial attitude toward Gavin affect the younger man’s life? How does the mindset of Lewis change toward Gavin as the book unfolds? Finally, how does Gil’s interaction with Gavin shape both men?
Gavin is haunted by the specter of Hugo throughout his life. What does he regret about his relationship with his brother? What does he value about it? Do you see any parallels between this relationship and the one Eric shares with Gil?
The figure of Asherton casts a menacing presence throughout the book. How does he achieve power over others? What enables those like Nicholas and Sir Colin to see through him immediately? How does Asherton’s public façade differ from his private one?
Gavin characterizes evil as “crawling all over everywhere” (page 407). How is evil an insidious presence in the book? How do the characters struggle against it, both literally and figuratively? Can you name some examples of evil lurking in the shadows of everyday life?
How does money play an insidious and damaging role in the book? Name some instances where wealth is used for good and for bad purposes.
How do Carta and Susanne make peace with one another toward the end of the book? What attracts Gavin to each of them? How do they seek to protect Gavin? How is his journey toward redemption a partnership with others, and in which ways is it a solitary pursuit?
How do Gavin and Carta seek mentors to help them along their spiritual journey? Why is this beneficial? In your opinion, what characteristics comprise a good healer and minister?
The author, Susan Howatch, sprinkles the book with literary references—from Dickens’s A Tale of Two Cities to Dante’s The Divine Comedy. What purpose does this achieve? Similarly, how do the quotations that begin each section guide the book?
SUSAN HOWATCH was born in Surrey. After taking a degree in law, she emigrated to America where she married, had a daughter, and embarked on a career as a writer. When she eventually left the States, she lived in the Republic of Ireland for four years before returning to England. She spent time in Salisbury—the inspiration for her Starbridge sequence of novels—and now lives in London.
ALSO BY SUSAN HOWATCH
The High Flyer
The Wonder Worker
Absolute Truths
Mystical Paths
Scandalous Risks
Ultimate Prizes
Glamorous Powers
Glittering Images
The Wheel of Fortune
Sins of the Fathers
The Rich Are Di ferent
Cashelmara
Penmarric
The Devil on Lammas Night
April’s Grave
The Shrouded Walls
Call in the Night
The Waiting Sands
The Dark Shore
The Heartbreaker is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents
are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance
to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
2005 Ballantine Books Trade Paperback Edition
Copyright © 2003 by Leaftree Ltd.
Reading group guide copyright © 2005 by Random House, Inc.
All rights reserved.
Published in the United States by Ballantine Books, an imprint of The Random
House Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.
BALLANTINE and colophon are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc.
READER’S CIRCLE and colophon are trademarks of Random House, Inc.
Extracts from Mud and Stars: The Impact of Hospice Experience on
the Church’s Ministry of Healing used with kind permission of OICPC.
Extracts from A Time to Heal: A Report for the House of Bishops on the
Healing Ministry are copyright © The Archbishops’ Council,
2000, and are reproduced by permission.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Howatch, Susan.
The heartbreaker: a novel / Susan Howatch.
p. cm.
1. Church fund-raising—Fiction. 2. Spiritual healing—Fiction.
3. Male prostitutes—Fiction. 4. London (England)—Fiction.
5. Ex-prostitutes—Fiction. 6. Healers—Fiction. I. Title.
PR6058.O912H43 2004
823’.914—dc22 2003062493
www.thereaderscircle.com
www.randomhouse.com
eISBN: 978-0-307-41709-1
v3.0
The Heartbreaker Page 63