Create a free Bookclubs account to organize your book club, get reading recommendations, view hundreds of discussion guides, and more!
King of Nod
“Folks say evil can’t cross water,” she told the boy, “which is why islands is ripe with all kinds’a inbred nastiness.”
Sweetpatch Island, South Carolina, 1971. For young Boo Taylor it’s a land of lush salt marshes and sun-soaked beaches, rich in history and folklore—yet steeped in superstition and hiding a terrifying secret.
After twenty years of self-imposed exile, Boo is summoned home to Sweetpatch upon news of his father’s strange death to face the friends and enemies of his youth, including his long-forsaken love. It seems everything he ran away from—the bigotry, the violence, the betrayal—has been buried under a modern landscape of golf courses and luxury hotels. Yet his homecoming reawakens the ancient forces that haunt the island and seek to right a centuries-old crime.
Scott Fad’s Southern Gothic masterwork, King of Nod, layers time and secrets in an intricate pattern of half-truths and glimpses of redemption to unravel the island’s great mystery—and its inexorable connection to Boo’s own fate.
This discussion guide was shared and sponsored in partnership with Greenleaf.
Book club questions for King of Nod by Scott Fad
Use these discussion questions to guide your next book club meeting.
Who/what is the Beast?
Was anything in the book truly supernatural? Or can everything be explained via natural phenomena?
Who was the most evil character? Who was the most morally good?
In the italicized end of Part Two, who does toddler Boo Taylor see in the waves?
In the italicized end of Part Six, what is happening to wounded Boo Taylor?
At the end of the Final Part, who does Boo Taylor see in the flames?
Who does Gussie Ransome see walking up the beach at the end of the Epilogue?
Who is the little boy on the raft at the opening of the book? Who is the man? Was this a dream or a memory? What is the significance of this passage?
What is the significance of the final two lines of the book?
Whatever happened to Dalton Satterfield?
Who is the distinguished French gentleman who guides Henry Ray Dutton through the streets of Saigon? What is his significance?
What is the relationship between Solomon Goody and Sing Satterfield?
Who burned down Boo Taylor’s house?
How would you answer if asked if the following characters were “good” or “bad” people: Boo Taylor, Gussie Ransome, Murphy Ransome, Wade Dutton, Solomon Goody, Sandy Baker, Dr. Silas Taylor, Laylee Colebriar?
King of Nod Book Club Questions PDF
Click here for a printable PDF of the King of Nod discussion questions
“An exceptional, superbly crafted epic novel about the specters—both figurative and real—that continue to torment the American South in the wake of slavery . . . Heart-wrenching . . . In many respects, King of Nod compares favorably to Toni Morrison’s classic tale [Beloved]. The author’s clear understanding of the epic nature of his story’s historical sweep is matched by his keen eye for descriptive detail.”—Kirkus Reviews
“Gothic with a drawling sense of Southern style, this haunting and lyrical literary treasure lingers like a moving old memory long after the story is put down. Mr. Fad has created a masterpiece of epic proportions, one destined to become a classic. The prose itself is a compelling enough reason to give this book a read. And yet, it is a story full of nuance, begging to be read again and again, sharing new treasures with each literary wave coming to shore. I couldn’t put it down from beginning to end.”—Fresh Fiction
“An extraordinary book, King of Nod is part spook story, part Southern Gothic, and part noir, cloaked in the language of lush imagery and fed on social consciousness. Its characters come alive in their quests to survive childhood, abuse, neglect, discrimination, and oppression and to deal with the consequences of their choices.”—Foreword Reviews (5 out of 5 Clarion Rating and INDIES Award Finalist)
“Gripping. Exceptional. Readers will be compelled to continue through to the end of this disturbing, spellbinding journey.”—Suspense Magazine
“Scott Fad has just proven himself a master at weaving all the elements together to capture a culture in a great work of fiction. King of Nod reads like a magical tale of mystery and history, hatred and love. When you put the book down you will be anxious to return to it. The magic of the island and the ghosts of Joker and Bathsheba Tribbit will have you losing sleep for many, many nights.”—Reader Views
“Very highly recommended. King of Nod by Scott Fad is one of those deftly written and epic novels from which award-winning miniseries and lucrative Hollywood films are made.”—Midwest Book Review