Nocturne (21 page)

NOCTURNE
by Bestselling Author Syrie James

READING GROUP GUIDE

1. In
Nocturne
, the two main characters are actually the only two characters in the novel. Why do you think the author chose not to include any other characters in the story? Have you ever read a novel like this before?

2. Why do you think Nicole and Michael argue so much at the beginning of the novel? Have you ever felt attracted to someone and yet felt the need to disguise it with a cold or uncaring attitude? If you did, why did you make this decision?

3. Discuss the many things that Michael and Nicole have in common as well as their differences. What draws them together? How do they complement each other? Do you think that Michael and Nicole are the love of each other’s life?

4. Do you believe in true love? Why or why not?

5. What do you think is it about being injured and snowbound with a dangerous person that piques people’s imaginations? A decade ago, people were compelled and terrified by the block-buster novel and movie
Misery
. What do you think is it about the fear of being cared for by a monster (human or inhuman) that fascinates us?

6. Both Michael and Nicole are accomplished pianists. Why do you think the author chose to make music such an important

7. Could you be attracted to someone like Michael, even if you knew how many times he had killed in his life and how dangerous he was to everyone around him? Did you like Michael and find him sympathetic? Why or why not? Have you ever been attracted to a person that your friends or family have thought was bad for you? How did you handle that situation?

8. Nicole and Michael fall in love very quickly. Have you ever had a romance like this where you fell in love so quickly and intensely? Was it short-lived or did it turn into an enduring relationship?

9. Discuss the clues that mount up in the first half of the book before Nicole realizes that Michael is a vampire. How would you feel if you had been in Nicole’s shoes, and that frightening myth had suddenly become reality? Would you have been terrified?

10. Discuss the scenes that explore Michael’s backstory. How do all the parts of his history contribute to the man he is today? Were you surprised to learn he had been a doctor years ago, and that he continued to work as a doctor for many decades after he became a vampire? What does that say about him?

11. If you had an eternity before you, how would you spend it?

12. Describe all the aspects of the property that Michael has built for himself in the Colorado mountains. Why does he call it his “sanctuary”? Did you find it appealing? Why or why not? Do you think you could live in isolation the way Michael does, when the surroundings are so spectacular? Or are you too social?

13. What was your reaction to Michael’s indoor conservatory? What is it about gardening that Michael and Nicole each find so fulfilling? Do you have experience gardening yourself? If so, in what ways does gardening fulfill a special need for you?

14. Forbidden love is one of the most enduring themes in great literature. What other great love stories have you read? Compare and contrast them with
Nocturne
.

15. Have you ever experienced the kind of loneliness Michael has? How did you deal with it? Has there ever been a time in your life you wished you could just pick up and move away from everyone you know?

16. Discuss Nicole’s emotional growth throughout the novel. How would you describe the crisis at the heart of Nicole’s character? Did you find her to be a sympathetic character?

17. Nicole and Michael make a heartbreaking decision at the end of the book. Do you really believe this is the end for them? How do you think they could make this relationship last if they were to get back together? The more creative answers, the better!

18. The two lovers only spend four magical days together and yet both of them are utterly transformed by their time together. In what ways do they each grow and change? Have you ever had a transformative experience? What was it? Discuss what you learned.

19. If you were Nicole, do you think you could have gotten on that plane and left the love of your life behind you? Why or why not?

Copyright © 2011 by Syrie James

Published by Vanguard Press
A Member of the Perseus Books Group

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. For information and inquiries, address Vanguard Press, 387 Park Avenue South, 12th Floor, New York, NY 10016, or call (800) 343-4499.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

James, Syrie.

Nocturne / Syrie James. p. cm.

eISBN : 978-1-593-15665-7

2. Vampires—Fiction. I. Title.

PS3610.A457N63 2011

813’.6—dc22

2010030418

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