The Gatepost: book group discussion prompts
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Why do you think writing a book about her father was so important to Esme that she quit her job, left her husband, and moved back to Woodgate?
What lessons do you think Esme learns over the course of the book? How about Lucas?
Do you think Graniteworld is a real place or an illusion? What makes you think so?
Do you think the places Gregoy, Esme, and Lucas visit while in the presence of the stela are glimpses into the Mesoamerican underworld, some kind of multiverse, or simply hallucinations?
Why is Sebastian is so obsessed with getting his hands on the stela? Is it just because he thinks it’s worth a lot of money?
What do you think about the morality of taking the stela out of its country of origin? Should it have been left in place, even with the concerns about looting and governmental corruption?
Do you think hallucinations are an important aspect of human consciousness? Do you ever experience brief hallucinations in your daily life?
At different moments the book seems to point to modern science and ancient cosmology as an explanation for what the characters experience. Do you think ancient cosmology can inform the way we look at modern science?
Discuss Gregory’s final scene. What does he discover?
If you could cast the main roles for a film version of The Gatepost, which actors would you choose for each of the roles?
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Tim Weed 