Time of the Child Book Club Questions
General Impressions
Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.
1. What were your initial emotional responses to Time of the Child? Which were your favorite and least favorite aspects of the novel?
2. Compare and contrast Time of the Child to other novels by contemporary Irish authors. For example, how does Williams’s novel compare to titles by Donal Ryan, Claire Keegan, Colm Tóibín, or Paul Lynch?
3. How did reading Time of the Child compare to your experience reading This Is Happiness? Did your relationship with Faha and the Faha townspeople change with this second novel? If so, how?
Personal Reflection and Connection
Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.
1. How did you respond to Noelle’s appearance in Faha? If you had found the child, what would you have done with her, and why?
2. Do you identify most with Jack Troy’s, Jude Quinlan’s, or Ronnie Troy’s character? What aspects of their identities are familiar or endearing to you, and why?
3. The Catholic Church heavily influences the
