Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead

Janina is an eccentric. Describe her quirks and those of her circle of friends. What distinguishes them from the community at large?

Compare and contrast Janina’s attitude toward non-human life with the attitude of the average person in her village.

The title of the book is a quote from William Blake’s work. What do you think it means within the context of the novel?

Each of Janina’s murder victims represents a different aspect of community power. Describe them and how they function to support one another.

Discuss the role that Janina and her friends fulfill as outsiders in relation to conventional society.

The term “pulpit” refers to two very different structures in the novel. In what ways are both structures ideologically similar?

The story is told using first-person narration. Is Janina’s version of events trustworthy? If not, why not?

Janina describes herself as an atheist. How might astrology be viewed as Janina’s religion?