NOS4A2

Hill puts a great emphasis on the Tuff Rider, Triumph, and the Wraith, as essential parts of the identities of Vic and Manx. How do Vic’s transportation choices mirror her character and her narrative trajectory? What about Manx?

Margaret Leigh (“Maggie”) says that the Wraith allows Manx to steal the humanity of his victims. What exactly does she mean? What does Wayne’s character trajectory reveal about her statement?

Do you believe that Lou and Vic did as bad of a job as parents as they think they did? Why or why not? Vic also considers her mother and father poor parents. Was she too harsh on them? When she meets her father at his cabin, do you think her reaction to his confessions is reasonable? Discuss your reasons.

As a character, Bing has a great deal in common with Renfield from Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Does he serve a narrative function beyond his ability to induce dread, commit atrocities appropriate for a horror novel, and assist Manx? If you consider Bing to be a mere plot device, what would have given his character greater depth?

The author, Joe Hill, is the son of Stephen King. NOS4A2 shares many of the same traits of King’s novels, including the terrors of childhood, coming of age, and the gap between adults and children. Do you believe that Hill hopes to imitate the style of his father’s novels, or is NOS4A2 distinguished enough on its own to avoid comparisons? How does the knowledge that the two authors are related affect your perspective on the novel?

Which character do you think experiences the most growth over the course of the novel? Most of the adult characters in the story are emotionally stunted in some way, and most of the children are hapless accessories in the plotlines of their elders. Which character evolves the most over the course of the narrative, and why?

Vic is hospitalized in a psychiatric facility after burning down their house to escape the phone calls from Christmasland. Why does she accept that her memories of Manx were all delusions? Why does she change her mind, instead of assuming that she is still experiencing a dangerous mental health condition?

What does Vic mean when she says that “Fantasy was always a reality waiting to be switched on? (850). How do the characters in the novel benefit from the existence of fantasy? How does fantasy harm them?