Book Club Questions for Flood Risk

What did you think of Charley Hopkins? Were you surprised at what happened to him? What did you think of his wife, Maude?
Initially, Valerie and Rocky didn’t seem very interested in speaking at the conference. Why do you think that was? Have you ever had to speak to an audience and how did you feel about it? If you got feedback, was it positive?
Have you ever been to Nashville? What did you do and see while you were there? Did this book reflect the city you saw? If you haven’t been there, would you like to visit? What would you like to see and do there?
Nashville is known for its music. Did you listen to the songs written for the book? You can find them at sandynork.com, in the dropdown menu under Flood Risk. Did you like them? Why or why not?
Flood Risk is set in 2010 as Nashville had what was called a “thousand-year flood,” the kind of flood that only happens once in a thousand years. We know now that it was the first of several floods to hit the area. Have you ever been in a flood? If so, were you able to travel freely? Were you close to high or moving water? Did you have to leave the area? Were you frightened?
Much of the country was not very aware of the Nashville Flood. The biggest news story at the time was the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, which happened in the Gulf of Mexico ten days before the flood. Can you think of any other reasons the story was not heavily reported?
One of the themes running through Flood Risk is that no one is what they seem. Can you point to examples of this? Do you think the characters that pretended to be something they weren’t had a good reason to do so? How would you feel if you met those characters? For example, would you pretend to like them? Would you get angry with them?
Who was your favorite character and why? Who was the character you most disliked and why? Who did you have the most in common with? Who would you like to trade places with?
Did you agree with the decisions some of the characters made? Would you have chosen to do the same thing? For example, Suzume was constantly trying to please her father. Was she successful? Why or why not? Would you have tried something different?
What was your favorite moment in Flood Risk? What was your favorite quote/passage? What surprised you the most?
traumatic experiences change how you view the world. How do you think Valerie, Rocky, and Mark will change because of the experience of being in the flood? Hoshi and Suzume Kojima? Paul Pratt and Sailor Lang? Olivia Farrell and Watson Dodd?
How did you feel about the ending of Flood Risk? Were there any plot points that were not resolved to your satisfaction? What do you think happens to the characters after the book ends?

What did you think of Charley Hopkins? Were you surprised at what happened to him? What did you think of his wife, Maude?

Initially, Valerie and Rocky didn’t seem very interested in speaking at the conference. Why do you think that was? Have you ever had to speak to an audience and how did you feel about it? If you got feedback, was it positive?

Have you ever been to Nashville? What did you do and see while you were there? Did this book reflect the city you saw? If you haven’t been there, would you like to visit? What would you like to see and do there?

Nashville is known for its music. Did you listen to the songs written for the book? You can find them at sandynork.com, in the dropdown menu under Flood Risk. Did you like them? Why or why not?

Much of the country was not very aware of the Nashville Flood. The biggest news story at the time was the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, which happened in the Gulf of Mexico ten days before the flood. Can you think of any other reasons the story was not heavily reported?

Who was your favorite character and why? Who was the character you most disliked and why? Who did you have the most in common with? Who would you like to trade places with?

Did you agree with the decisions some of the characters made? Would you have chosen to do the same thing? For example, Suzume was constantly trying to please her father. Was she successful? Why or why not? Would you have tried something different?

What was your favorite moment in Flood Risk? What was your favorite quote/passage? What surprised you the most?

traumatic experiences change how you view the world. How do you think Valerie, Rocky, and Mark will change because of the experience of being in the flood? Hoshi and Suzume Kojima? Paul Pratt and Sailor Lang? Olivia Farrell and Watson Dodd?

How did you feel about the ending of Flood Risk? Were there any plot points that were not resolved to your satisfaction? What do you think happens to the characters after the book ends?