Discussion Questions

1.) If you were able to write a charter for Ferndale or another post-

apocalyptic town, what kind of system would you create and why?

2.) Did Ferndale live up to the Founders’ goals? In what ways did the

Founders succeed? In what ways did they fail?

3.) Before the others arrived in Ferndale, was there a way that Rafael could

have respectfully initiated a romantic relationship with Irina that would

not have felt coercive, given their isolation and dependence on each

other?

4.) Do you agree with Irina’s idea that grief doesn’t reveal you, it transforms

you? Have you experienced grief that changed you or the way you

viewed the world?

5.) Both Tina and Irina had an adult who “showed up” and had a profound

positive impact on their lives. Is there someone like that in your life? In

what ways did they show up? How did their support impact your life?

6.) Did you agree with any of Ro’s points about the downsides of Ferndale’s

political model? Are there other problems with Ferndale’s model that

you see?

7.) Do you agree with Tina’s stance that post-apocalyptic conditions

necessitate some moral compromises? Should Tina and the others

have shot the thieves at the trade conference and in the barn on the

outskirts of town? Should the town have executed the man who was

found guilty of incest? Should Irina have sentenced Vera to exile for not

contributing? Why or why not?

8.) What do you think about the power dynamics of Rafael and Irina’s

marriage? Is it an egalitarian marriage?

9.) In what ways do each of the Founders’ past experiences affect the

system they create and the later decisions they make—for example,

Irina and Tina’s decisions about how to handle sex offenders? In what

ways does your own history affect your political beliefs and ethical

decisions?

10.) Do you agree with Irina’s argument that most parenting decisions don’t

really matter? How much of someone’s personality is the result of nature

(genetics) and how much is the result of nurture (parenting, societal

influences, and experiences)?

11.) In what ways is government by random selection (sortition), a better

model than elections? In what ways are elections better? What system

would you prefer to live under?

12.) What are the strengths and weaknesses of Irina and Rafael’s

marriage? Is it a model of marriage you would aspire to?

13.) Is a happy marriage a matter of chance, as a Jane Austen character

remarked, or a matter of choice, as Rafael thinks?

14.) In what ways could modern society be made more egalitarian? What

would the costs or tradeoffs be?

1.) If you were on the Ferndale Council, how would you have recommended that the town deal with Sovereign a) after the nuns disappeared? b) after Sister Mary’s body was recovered? c) after the fire? d) after the trade conference? 

2.) Do you think that Rafael and Irina’s marriage is stronger or weaker at the end of the book than it was in the beginning?

3.) What do you think someone in Remy’s position was ethically required to do in Sovereign? Should he have done more?

4.) If you were in Maeve’s position, could you have forgiven Remy and repaired the marriage after Sovereign? If you were in Remy’s position, could you have forgiven Maeve and repaired the marriage after the affair?

5.) Is Irina right that people are the cause of and the solution to our problems?

6.) Caleb has a complicated, difficult relationship with his father. Is there anyone in your family that you have conflicted feelings about? What do you think is the best way to manage that? 

7.) What do you think of Marielle’s critique of Ferndale’s social norms? Would you be happy living in Ferndale?

Which spouse do you think bears more blame for the breakdown of Rafael and Irina’s marriage?  

8.) What do you think of Ferndale’s tribunal system? Are Luke’s critiques of that system accurate? How would you design that system?

9.) Were you surprised by Sara’s very different take on the righteousness of Ferndale’s intervention in Sovereign? In what ways was her assessment correct? In what ways was it wrong?

10.) Is Remy right that “there’s no consent in Sovereign?” Can you imagine a scenario where a loving, consensual relationship could grow in a place like that?

11.) Is Hannah’s statement about the difficulty of overcoming social norms around gender roles accurate? If so, why? Is there more that the Founders of Ferndale could have done to achieve that goal?

12.) Did Remy, Tina, and Irina make the right decision when they destroyed Toby’s letter to Maeve? Why or why not?

13.) Did the jury make the right decision about Ro? If not, what other factors should they have considered? 

14.) Much of Irina and Rafael’s marital conflict stems from their deep difference in opinion about how to respond to the town of Sovereign. Have you ever had a deep disagreement about a political, ethical, or moral issue that affected your relationship with someone you were close to? How did you manage that?

15.) To what extent do you think that Marcus’ troubled childhood excuses or explains his actions? To what extent should the judge and jury have taken that into account? 

16.) Did Ferndale become the monsters they fought? In what ways did the town compromise its moral or ethical boundaries over the course of this conflict?