by Kim Echlin
Q: So would you say religion and faith are important to the people of Millstone Nether?
Not organized religion. The characters in this book are driven by the need to survive, by the demands and joys of their community, and by their shared love of kitchen parties and music. I wanted to create a community not formed by religion but made alive by spirit. The people express it in their music and in the creativity they bring to their daily lives. Meggie Dob is a woman who is made fertile by Dagmar’s empathetic tears, and her children are Donal, the double bassist, and a strange misshapen daughter named Madeleine. This little daughter is compelled to paint on any surface she can find. We see that her inborn creativity comes from faith in life itself. Throughout the story we see women overcoming hopelessness: a woman who can’t have children has twins, a child without paint becomes an artist. I have seen this in my own family and in people in many places in the world, the astonishing human capacity to express oneself in defiance of obstacles, sometimes with a kind of humble joy, sometimes with fierceness. I think we all have this potential if we are loved by just one person.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Discuss Moll’s symbolic role on the island. How do you see her?
Norea and Colin do not live together in a traditional marriage, yet they remain in love and raise their children together. What do you think of this relationship?
Do you think Donal’s affections for Nyssa are based on his love for Dagmar? How did their relationship make you feel as a reader?
Music is a central part of the story, almost an additional character. How did the music add to your reading experience?
Discuss the following quotation as it relates to the book and to your own life: “Never are we closer to our own godliness than in loss.”
Discuss the book’s symbols and their significance.
Did you believe Dagmar’s powers to be real or symbolic? Why do you think she has these powers while the other women in her family do not?
Norea shows kindness to Moll, even after Moll causes her to go blind. Would you do the same thing in her shoes? Why does Norea do this?
The community of Millstone Nether is rich in music and art, which is reflected in the author’s poetic language and vivid metaphors. Did the way the story is written affect your experience of the narrative?
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