1. During the course of the novel, Rendell shifts the narrative perspective between various characters, but the novel returns most frequently to the point of view of Mix Cellini. How does this focus affect your feelings toward Mix as a character? Do you find him sympathetic? Were there times when you found yourself rooting for him? How does Rendell use shifts of point of view to influence your feelings toward Mix and other characters?2. To acquaintances Gwendolyn Chawcer may seem demanding and perhaps even pushy, but as readers we also catch glimpses of her as romantic, timid, and helpless, particularly when she recalls the past. How does the way she was treated as a young woman affect her personality as an adult? How do her recollections of Stephen Reeves and of Reggie Christie inform your sense of her character?3. Do you think that Stephen Reeves was ever in love with Gwendolyn?4. The cynical Madame Shoshana laughs at how easy it is to fool her clients with phony predictions. But despite her own lack of faith, the readings she gives to Nerissa and Mix seem to reflect the truth with eerie accuracy. How can we explain this accuracy? What do Mix’s backaches at the end of the book reveal about Ruth Rendell’s thoughts on this subject? Are there any other ôpredictionsö that are difficult or impossible to explain away?5. What are your feelings about Nerissa Nash? Why is she so appealing to Mix? If a romance had been possible between them, do you think she would have fulfilled Mix’s vision of her? How does she stack up to his ideal?6. As their roles in the novel gain in importance, Queenie and Olive, whom Gwendolyn describes as silly and frivolous and Mix sees as meddlesome and bossy, are shown to have other sides to their characters. But until the end of the book, the reader almost always sees them through the biased eyes of Mix or Gwendolyn. What would you consider an unbiased description of their characters?7. In the beginning of the novel, Mix seems to live in two separate worldsûone driven by his obsessive interests, and the other tempered by qualities that allow him to hold a job and maintain friendships. Danila’s visit to Mix’s apartment shows how tragic the results can be when the two worlds meet. How aware do you think Mix is of his two worlds, and the barrier between them? Are both those worlds apparent to others?8. What is it about Reggie Christie that appeals to Mix? How does his obsession with Reggie tie in to his own goals?9. What do you make of the role of the seemingly supernatural residents of St. Blaise House: the ôghost of Reggieö and the creepy cat, Otto? What do they tell us about the role of perception versus reality in the book? How does each of the main characters react differently to them, and why?10. How do you think Gwendolyn Chawcer would have been different as an older woman if ...
