Two Wolves

How do you see Ben changing as a character over the course of the novel? In what specific ways are his personality, opinions, and values different at the end of the novel versus the beginning?

Two Wolves frequently opens its chapters in the middle of the action, allowing the reader to figure out what’s happening as the chapter goes along. Why did Bancks choose to use this technique? How does starting in media res benefit the novel, and how does it detract?

In what ways do you see patterns repeating themselves from fathers to sons in this novel? What is Two Wolves saying about parenting and what children learn from their parents?

What is the nature of Ben’s relationship with the women in his life—Olive, his mother, and his grandmother? How do those relationships shift by the end of the novel? What is Two Wolves saying about the relationship between genders within families?

The “two wolves” of the title represent a binary—one wolf is all good, and the other wolf is all bad. What other binaries do you see in this novel? How does the novel reinforce and challenge the idea of binaries?

Ben desires to become a police detective when he grows up. What does this desire say about Ben as a person and his values? What sort of insecurities or concerns does Ben feel about himself concerning who he wants to become?

Describe the relationship between Ben’s father, Ray, and the rest of his family. How does he treat them, and why? How do they react to this treatment? What does Ray’s character tell the reader about fatherhood?

A distinct contrast in settings is established in Two Wolves between the isolated nature of the cabin and the suburban environment of Sydney. How do these two settings function within and inform the events of the novel? What do Ben’s dislike and eventual embrace of nature demonstrate about his character?