Questions For Your Book Club to Discuss The Deed

This perceptive and unforgettable debut novel from the 2022 Richell Prize winner explores the messy, sometimes volatile, complications that only the best and worst of family can bring - here's some questions to help focus your Book Club's discussion!

Questions for Discussion:

The story is told from the perspectives of the four siblings; Jenny, Dave, Christine and Sophie; Tom Edwards and Vince Barton. Did you find yourself connecting with one character more than the others? If so, who and why?

How do Jenny, Christine, Dave and Sophie process the loss of their father? Do you think there is a ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ way to deal with grief?

As the novel progresses, we get a deeper understanding of the relationships between the four Edwards siblings. How do their connections with each other vary? How are their relationships affected by the events of the novel?

Did you find Susannah Begbie’s depiction of an Australian rural community authentic? Is the town of Coorong (or Ellersley itself) similar or different to any places you’ve visited or lived in?

What do you think gives the book a distinctly Australian feel? How do you think the novel might have been different if it had been set outside Australia?

How does the novel explore the challenges that can arise within a family when it comes to money?

Did you find your perspective on Tom as a character shift throughout the novel, as we learned more about his intentions? Why or why not?

The novel being told through different perspectives allows the reader to see the characters’ dramatically varied takes on the same event – such as Tom and Dave on the experience at the mill. How did that affect you as a reader?

Vince Barton is the only non-Edwards character we hear from directly. Why do you think author Susannah Begbie chose to include his perspective? How did this affect the plotting and stakes of the novel?

Although we never hear from her, Helena’s presence looms large in the book. How might the story – and the family dynamics –  have been different if she’d still been alive?

The Deed tackles a lot of interesting themes – family, greed, entitlement, loss, regret, trauma and love, to name just a few. How does Susannah Begbie balance these topics? Did any particular theme ring through clearer to you than the others?

How do you think the lives of the Edwards siblings will be different after the events of the novel and why?