Revenge

What themes unite the twelve stories in Revenge?

How might you describe the author’s style? Did the ever-present combination of gallows humor, violence, sexuality, and human tenderness in the book work for you?

Based on the cadence of each of the stories, would you say that the desire for revenge is a universal trait?

One of our greatest fears as humans is the prospect of losing our precious freedom. That fear is hanging like a toxic cloud over every segment of “Damien, Petunia, & the Great Escape.” Would any of us willingly allow ourselves to be treated in as barbaric a way as these characters? If the fate of lobsters is to be food for the privileged, then as their keepers, can we not find a more humane method of harvesting and marketing them? And what does our treatment of lobsters say about our alleged Reverence for Life?

No one in “Soiled Utility: A Love Story” can be fairly described as seekers of revenge, and yet renowned surgeon Marlena Quisling and laborer Rajmund Perkovic, who work at Wexworth Medical Center in Chicago and quite unexpectedly become lovers, finally manage to exact a unique kind of revenge against their employer by stubbornly refusing to honor social conventions or adhere to the strict, commonsense rules in force at the hospital. Did their act of defiance make them courageous individuals worthy of our praise, or reckless, irresponsible lovers who ought to have known better and deserve to be punished for their misconduct?

In “The Poultice,” eleven-year-old Norman Edward Albrecht has two serious problems. One is a poorly maintained set of teeth that regularly cause him both public embarrassment and excruciating pain. The other is that his parents, Wanda and Eugene, are too self-absorbed to recognize Norman’s unspoken cries for help. Perhaps worst of all, they refuse to believe that their son’s dinner table outbursts are happening for a good reason. Did the author of REVENGE effectively bring home the power of parental indifference in terms of doing lifelong damage to a child? And does his use of trenchant humor make it easier for his readers to empathize with Norman?

After reading “Harvest Season,” how might you have approached a modern retelling of the beloved, centuries-old tale of the Grim Reaper? Is there something about the author’s approach that either impressed or disappointed you? Where would you choose to retell this story, and in what era would you stage it? There are no rules; give it a try!