DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
for Mary A. Agria’s VOX HUMANA: The Human Voice
1. In one way or another each of
the main characters—Char, Rob, Marty, Leah, Grace, and Rob —are
"broken" people. With which of them can you most identify and what
is in their particular "story" that intrigues you?
2. Secondary characters like Rob and Char’s children, Todd
Rutterbach, Wilma and Father Wills all make unique contributions to
the novel. Single out the one that resonated most with you and how
that character impacted others in the story.
3. What are the strengths in Char Howard’s character? What
weakness(es) helped fuel the crisis in which she finds herself? How
does she learn to transcend her past?
4. What is Rob Sims’ greatest strength? What character traits keep
him from moving beyond his past failures? What event(s) prove key in
changing that?
5. Why did early retirement hit Char so hard? How did her view of
work contribute to limiting her growth and undermine her sense of
self-worth? What events most help her see what it truly means to
find her vocation or calling?
6. What factors caused Rob to make the personal and professional
choices that proved so disastrous for him? Discuss key events that
helped him begin to change?
7. What role do the generations play in the novel? How is "family"
defined in a place like Hope? Point to a single incident in the
novel that for you reflects the best or the best in family/community
life?
8. What would you describe as the strongest positive aspect of life
in a rural community like Hope? The most negative one?
9. Music in VOX is both solitary and communal. Discuss the
connections Char feels between her art and her spirituality. How
does that impact others? eg. Wilma, Rob.
10. How does a visual art like weaving enrich the lives of people in
the novel? Discuss "Undercroft Arts" in the context of rebuilding
economically struggling communities.
11. What role does the institutional church play in the unfolding
novel? How do characters like Wills, the Bishop, the retreat house
director Father Gillespie or the members of the congregation at
Nativity contribute to the novel?
12. What single episode in the novel had the greatest impact for you
and why? What single episode was the most surprising or disturbing?
Download a PDF version of these questions
for printing.
READER AND CRITICAL PRAISE FOR MS. AGRIA’S NOVELS: "Fresh language
and images"..."Richly drawn, wonderfully engaging characters,
haunted by ultimate questions of mortality and spirituality"
TO MEET THE AUTHOR: arrange for a phone "Author Chat" for a book
group; schedule a signing or reading; follow Ms. Agria’s monthly
online "Reflections"; or learn more about her other novels/books, by
contacting her website at www.maryagria.com
