Christine Falls: A Novel [Paperback]

The hero ofChristineFalls,Quirke, is a surly pathologist living in 1950s Dublin. One night, after having a few drinks at a party, he returns to the morgue to find his brother-in-law tampering with the records on a young woman's corpse. The next morning, when his hangover has worn off, Quirke reluctantly begins looking into the woman's history. He discovers a plot that spans two continents, implicates the Catholic Church, and may just involve members of his own family. He is warned--first subtly, then with violence--to lay off, but Quirke is a stubborn man. The first novel in the Quirke series brings all the vividness and psychological insight of John Banville's writing to the dark, menacing atmosphere of a first-class thriller.

Benjamin Blackis the pen name of acclaimed authorJohn Banville, who was born in Wexford, Ireland, in 1945. His novels have won numerous awards, most recently the Man Booker Prize in 2005 forThe Sea. He lives in Dublin.

Discussion Questions

1. In secret, the author writes, Quirke prized his loneliness as a mark of some distinction. (pg. 12). What does Quirke's loneliness do for him? How does it make possible what he ultimately accomplishes in the story? Is Quirke's isolation part of what allows him to see the truth about the conspiracy around him?

2. What does Crawford mean when he says to Quirke that America is the New World, that, This is the place. God's country. How are Ireland and America treated differently in the novel? How do these portrayals relate to the current America and Ireland?

3. Do the revelations about Quirke, Phoebe, and what he knew about their relationship change your perception of how he treated her earlier in the novel? Why do you think Quirke kept the secret so long of who her parents were? Was it the right decision?

4. Early in the novel, Quirke is thinking about his late wife Delia: Perhaps he had cared for her more than

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