Questions for Book Groups
1. Most people describe Heather as vain and domineering, but she sees herself as just looking out for her family’s interests. What was your reaction to Heather? Do you recognize her qualities in people you know, or in yourself? How do you feel about a main character whose qualities are so unattractive?
2. In “Rattled,” newcomers to the countryside threaten the rural lifestyle of characters like Harlan White, the chicken farmer and handyman. Do similar tensions exist where you live? Do you find yourself rooting for Harlan?
3. Heather is described by some characters as living in a McMansion. McMansions have become a flashpoint in culture wars about home, community and aesthetics. How does “Rattled” contribute to this debate?
4. One of themes of the book is the contrast between the two basic creation motifs – Darwinism and the Garden of Eden. Heather lives in Galapagos Estates, but as in Eden, it’s the sudden appearance of a snake that gets her ejected. How do you think these themes contribute to the novel?
5. Pine Hills Elementary School is a stewpot of anxieties, especially for Connor. Discuss Connor’s difficulties finding his place in the cafeteria and on the playground. What do you think about the fact that he sees a “worry doctor”? How do his parents contribute to his maladjustment? Why is Halloween such a trial for him?
6. The mothers at Pine Hills Elementary have their own pecking order and Heather disregards this invisible hierarchy at her peril. Her attempt to pick Connor’s teacher similarly backfires. Do you see similar dramas playing out in schoolyards today?
7. Students and their mothers are not the only ones who have problems at the school. Lawyers and public relation consultants are constantly meddling from offstage. How do you think political correctness and the fear of liability influences the current experience of childhood?
8. The Friends of the Fauna are frustrated by the fact that timber rattlesnakes are not a cute enough species to garner public sympathy. How do you feel about the rights of reptiles?
>9. Do you think that Heather becomes a better mother at the end of the book? Is her change believable? Why do you think Heather is shown on a camping trip in the last chapter?
10. Harlan and Agnes are both old-timers in the New Jersey countryside, and although they both have contempt for Heather, that doesn’t make them friends. Discuss what these characters represent and how their relationship changes over the course of the novel.
