The Awakening

Research Irish mythology. How do its stories, such as the Tuatha Dé Danann, provide a background and setting for Talamh? What features does Talamh share with Ireland, and what does that mean? What features are distinct to Talamh, and what does that add to the book?

How is Breen’s awakening a journey of self-discovery? You may wish to address her blog and writing as well as her discovery of her magickal bloodline. How do the supernatural elements in the story work as a metaphor for psychological processes? How does magick move Breen along her archetypal journey?

What is the power and significance of blood and bloodlines in the novel? You may wish to consider how blood or inheritance interacts with the concept of family. What limitations or obligations does blood confer? What metaphors are at work?

How are Breen’s biological and found families in Philadelphia and Talamh similar and different? How have both contributed to who she is? What are the connections that family creates for Breen between her worlds?

What conflicts does Breen encounter between her two worlds of Earth and Talamh? How are these worlds in opposition to each other, and what does it require of Breen to live and succeed in both? What larger statement might the novel be making about navigating different worlds?

Examine the culture of magick in the book, for instance the rules about its use. What do various magickal creatures such as trolls, elves, weres, mers, and dragons represent? You may wish to compare Marg and Finola’s magicks to Odran’s destructive powers. How do magickal cultures compare to the modern culture of Breen’s world, and what might that mean?

How is Breen’s emerging writing talent a form of awakening? What does this ability, and the potential for a career, means for her in terms of the novel?

Explore Breen’s relationship with her mother. How does the relationship and the way it changes impact Breen’s journey of awakening and growth? Compare Breen’s relationship with her mother to her developing relationship with Marg, who serves a maternal role. What does Breen learn that changes her relationship with her mother at the end? What does this mean for Breen and her understanding of family, and of herself?