There are a few very strong themes running through the novel: religion, racism and the effects of war and poverty. The book was packed with controversial elements.
The same editor who read the very first draft of Stolen Grace (who doubted Grace’s POV) thought I was being too ambitious—that I should keep it a “light thriller without too much depth” and not introduce these themes, but to me they were an integral part of the story. The battle between good and bad is never black and white. Many religious people believe they are doing the right thing, and that because they believe in God so wholeheartedly, they have some kind of indemnity, because in the end, God is on their side. I also wanted to show how religion can unwittingly close people off—Ruth does not believe animals have souls, for instance. And she talks about Hell, yet somehow she feels she is immune, herself. Children are often taught to become hardened to the world on many levels. Indoctrinated with certain beliefs. Grace is Ruth’s antithesis, partly because of her sweet nature, and partly because of how her parents have raised her. Grace believes teddy bears have souls, too. I wanted to give a glimpse into the kind of future Grace would have had with Ruth, and the sort of person Grace may have turned out to be if Ruth had ended up being her mother.
As far as race is concerned, Grace being adopted, and originally from India, made the story more poignant to me. I wanted to show that blood is not necessarily thicker than water and again, how there is no black and white, per se, but many nuanced colors and shades in between. Jacqueline talks about this; that racism takes many guises.
And as for war and the atrocities it brings—well, that’s another evil in our world that often starts out as a “noble cause” and escalates into something horrific.
In the beginning of the book, the Garland family are struggling with bills and the recession, but as we find out by the end of the novel, their problems turn out to be nothing in the grand scale of things when compared to the filth and poverty of the trash dumps where so many millions of people are trying to survive in third-world countries. Sylvia feels blessed, not only to be reunited with her family, but for all the small luxuries she has taken for granted throughout her life.
Your descriptions of Nicaragua and South America are so vivid. Did you live there?
No. I visited Peru a couple of years ago and I have backpacked on a budget in many third-world countries, especially South East Asia, so I have seen so much of what is in the book, firsthand.
Padre Marco seems larger than life. Almost a caricature. What inspired you to write a character like him?
Sadly, people like him are all too real. There are a terrifying number of pedophiles globally, especially in positions of authority. I have read about people like Padre Marco, so although he may seem larger than life, he really isn’t.
Although the novel is dramatic, it also has a thread of black humor running through it.
Yes, I hope my readers feel free to have a good laugh now and then. Some of the situations are so outrageously awful, that they are funny at the same time. I’m an author who, above all, wants to entertain my readers. I want them to be able to disconnect from their hard day at work and to be able to delve into another world with abandon.
Questions and topics for discussion
1.) In the beginning of the book Sylvia and Tommy’s marriage is going through a very rough patch. Who do you think is responsible for this and do you believe that their marriage would have survived had it not been for what happened to Grace? By the end of the book, do you feel they have resolved their problems?
2.) Have you ever been in a position where you have trusted a friend with a member of your family and that person has let you down or deceived you in some way? In Sylvia’s case, the decision was catastrophic. Did you identify with Sylvia when she left Grace with Ruth to see her father, or is it something you never would have done under any circumstance?
3.) At what point in the novel did you suspect that Ruth was unhinged?
4.) Would you feel comfortable adopting a child from a foreign country or with skin color different from your own? Do you think there are disadvantages for a mixed race family?
5.) Do you believe Ruth planned everything from the start, or was she an opportunist?
6.) Religion is a theme that runs through Stolen Grace. Do you think that being religious hinders people’s spirituality or helps them become better human beings?
7.) Of all the characters in the book, who do you think was transformed the most by the events that passed?
8.) Intensive/factory farming is a topic close to Sylvia’s heart. And later in the book, Lucho teaches Grace about turtles, and the importance of mangroves and plankton. Do you believe it is the right thing to teach children about ecological issues at a very early age? How do you feel about intensive farming? Did this novel enlighten you to any issues that you didn’t already know about?
9.) What role does LeRoy play in the novel? What did he signify to you?
10.) If you had been in Sylvia’s shoes, finding out about her father’s lies, would you have felt angry or would you have identified with him? Do you think his secretive past and the guilt he bore was the cause of his suicide?
11.) We find out a little history about the involvement of US troops in the Contra War in Nicaragua. How do you feel about the USA involving itself in wars abroad? Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan? In each situation, do you believe the government went in for a good cause? Or do you suspect there were ulterior motives?
12.) We get a glimpse of who Ruth/Sara is at the end of the book. Do you sympathize with her at all? What do you believe caused her to be the way she is? And what do you imagine she may get up to next?
13.) If your child were kidnapped and found again, how would it affect you? Would it change the way you parent your child? Would you become extra protective? Or do you believe that fate is going to take its course no matter what you do?
14.) Do you think parents shape a child’s personality or are they born a certain way? What are the key elements Tommy and Sylvia teach Grace that make her the person she is? And if Grace had remained with Ruth, what sort of person do you think she would have eventually become?
15.) The Garland’s lives are changed dramatically by circumstance. Have you ever had something happen to you that has turned your life around, for better or worse?
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Many of you are already acquainted with my books from The Pearl Series, and some of you will be reading my work for the first time. If I am a new author to you and you are curious about my other work, be advised that the Pearl books are erotic romances and very different indeed from Stolen Grace in both literary style and content. The Pearl books are for readers 18+ and are not suitable for people who do not appreciate graphic sex scenes and strong, provocative language.
I love having a rapport with my readers and fans so feel free to contact me and thanks again for reading my book—I so hope you enjoyed it.
Arianne.
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