Thr3e
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Book Club Discussion Questions for Thr3e
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Great questions.1. If I leaned toward anyone other than Kevin it was Slater.
2. Yes, I even looked back after the reveal and the wording was done remarkably well. No. I do not think his mention of mult. personality d/o detracted from the conclusion.
3. Kevin's term paper brought back feelings he hadn't dealt with ie. most likely his first experience with good and evil.
4. I've worked in the mental health field and don't subscribe to the diagnosis of MPD now Dissociative identity Disorder (DID) but do believe people who have been traumatized can dissociate. Was it Kevin's fault? Ultimately yes. Thankfully no one was hurt but the family pet. I do think one could argue that had Kevin dealt with his abuse issues earlier he may have been able to prevent this.
5. I think Belinda was delusional and needed professional help. That being said, she was very abusive to Kevin, her own son and husband. She should be held accountable for her abuse. I don't think she deserved being held by Slater.
6. I didn't take Ted Dekker as having a message about MPD as much as I did the message of we all by human nature have the ability to succumb to evil and many have inner struggles but can choose to turn to God.
7. I can't think of a comparison at this time.
8. Yes. Christian themes of the inner struggle between good and evil. The message of free will is also included. Agree? for the most part.
9. Yes, I think the title has a loose association to the Trinity.
10. Wow, a long question.
11. I don't think that the romance aspect detracted from the story. It was so subtle that it seemed to flow well.
12. Yes. I would recommend the book to a friend. It is one of my favorite works by Dekker. I would also recommend the movie.
Good questions, this book blew me away and kept my attention. Yes I would recommend this to a friend. I was sad to find out some of the character's were not real. I started suspecting this about midway only kept telling myself couldn't be.I liked the illustrations of good and evil. I had a priest tell me once we all have a sheep and goat within.
I can't place any other book I've read like this. I'm glad I read this book and have read others by Ted Dekker.
I kept going back and forth between Slater and anybody else. Dekker was remarkable, I didn't believe it was Kevin when the notion was first mentioned. I was hooked from beginning to end.
1. Prior to the big reveal, which character(s) were you leaning toward for being the Riddle Killer? Why did you feel that way, and what changed your mind?I just assumed that Slater was "the boy".
2. Did the author's writing style and use of conversation convince you that each character was a distinct individual? Was it believable? Dekker brings in the topic of multiple personality disorder about halfway through the book. Did this detract from the conclusion? Yes, I actually watched the movie 1st and was blown away by the "big reveal".
3. Kevin's term paper was on the natures of man. How did this trigger the return of both Sam and Slater? (You may want to re-read the discussion between Jennifer and Dr. Francis in chapter 25.) I think the return of Sam & Slater triggered the term paper & his interest in the whole subject. It kind of went hand & hand.
4. Slater caused a lot of damage. In chapter 26, Jennifer says that Kevin, "is innocent either way." Do you agree? Do you think Kevin should be held accountable for this damage? Was it Kevin's fault? I have a lot of compassion for people with mental illnesses. A person who is truly mentally ill cannot be held accountable completely.
5. What do you think of Balinda's perception of reality and her attempts to control it? Was it "evil" or what it delusional? Should she be blamed for her role in events? Did she deserve what happened to her? I think she was delusional, not necessarily evil. Did she deserve it ? I think she needed to be made aware of the damage she caused but not necessarily in the way she was made aware, but Kevin/Slater felt there was no other option.
6. Do you think Ted Dekker has a message regarding Multiple Personality Disorder? If so, what is it? Do you agree? I think he wrote wonderfully about this mental illness and made it believable since so many people think MPD isn't real.
7. How does this book compare to any others you may have read or heard of regarding Multiple Personality Disorder. Was the disorder treated the same way in each story? I've only read true case studies where psychologists helped to make all the personalities into the original person.
8. This book has been classified as a Christian mystery/thriller. Do you agree? What themes of Christianity did you detect? Did you agree with the author's point of view on these themes? Good & Evil, the Thr3e ( Father, Son, & Holy Spirit )
9. Does the title have a Christian connection? What does "Thr3e" represent? What other three's were in the novel? Father, Son, & Holy Spirit
10. In chapter 14, and again in chapter 25, Dr. Francis says that it was once famously said that, "The good that I would, that I do not do, and that which I would not do, that I do." (Romans 7:19, though Dekker doesn't reveal this). Discuss how this verse relates to the natures of man, and also the characters of Kevin, Slater and Sam. People are inherently opposite. There is stuff they want to do that they don't and there's stuff they do that they shouldn't.
11. Agatha Christie wrote in her autobiography about her dislike of mysteries having a romantic subplot. Do you agree or disagree with her views? If so, do you feel the romance aspect enhanced or detracted from the story? I loved the romantic angle. Kevin needed a friend, who turned into someone he "loved". I liked the Jennifer/Kevin angle, too, because he actually had someone who cared about him.
12. What did you like or dislike about the book that hasn't been discussed already? Were you glad you read this book? Would you recommend it to a friend? Do you want to read more of Ted Dekker's works? I loved this book AND the movie !! I've read The Bride Collector, The Boneman's Daughters, and I'm now reading House.
13. Feel free to share a favorite passage. We can discuss whether the passage reveals anything specific about one or more characters or how it relates to the story as a whole. I didn't really have a favorite passage but I did like anything dealing with Kevin & Sam. I thought it was sweet, though idealistic, but that's what a fractured mind would do.
Thank you for posting these questions. I've been looking online for some insight into what the actual significance of this book is and how it relates to Christian themes, but I've not been able to find any.Regarding the first question, "Prior to the big reveal, which character(s) were you leaning toward for being the Riddle Killer? Why did you feel that way, and what changed your mind?" :
I actually thought Balinda's biological son, I believe his name was Bob (I read this a few books ago but it still has me thinking :), was "the boy" or "Slater". I thought that perhaps he was putting on a front as a person with a disability in order to avoid having to deal with Balinda's delusional issues and that maybe he was vindictive enough to create that persona in order to inflict misery on Kevin for coming into their lives. If I remember correctly, Balinda would restrict Kevin's learning because Bob was unable to learn the same things as him at the same pace. So she would send them to their rooms to read. I thought Bob, if he was just creating that persona, was taking that time to plot and educate himself, maybe on the construction of bombs. I definitely suspected him when he was looking out the window when the dog blew up...thinking he may have detonated the bomb from inside the house. And when the calls were coming from inside the house, I was also suspecting Bob, and that maybe he had a really genius brain and constructed his own phone in his room.
Am I the only one who suspected Bob for the majority of the book?
<3
Discussion Questions for Thr3e, by Ted Dekker
1. Prior to the big reveal, which character(s) were you leaning toward for being the Riddle Killer? Why did you feel that way, and what changed your mind?
2. Did the author's writing style and use of conversation convince you that each character was a distinct individual? Was it believable? Dekker brings in the topic of multiple personality disorder about halfway through the book. Did this detract from the conclusion?
3. Kevin's term paper was on the natures of man. How did this trigger the return of both Sam and Slater? (You may want to re-read the discussion between Jennifer and Dr. Francis in chapter 25.)
4. Slater caused a lot of damage. In chapter 26, Jennifer says that Kevin, "is innocent either way." Do you agree? Do you think Kevin should be held accountable for this damage? Was it Kevin's fault?
5. What do you think of Balinda's perception of reality and her attempts to control it? Was it "evil" or what it delusional? Should she be blamed for her role in events? Did she deserve what happened to her?
6. Do you think Ted Dekker has a message regarding Multiple Personality Disorder? If so, what is it? Do you agree?
7. How does this book compare to any others you may have read or heard of regarding Multiple Personality Disorder. Was the disorder treated the same way in each story?
8. This book has been classified as a Christian mystery/thriller. Do you agree? What themes of Christianity did you detect? Did you agree with the author's point of view on these themes?
9. Does the title have a Christian connection? What does "Thr3e" represent? What other three's were in the novel?
10. In chapter 14, and again in chapter 25, Dr. Francis says that it was once famously said that, "The good that I would, that I do not do, and that which I would not do, that I do." (Romans 7:19, though Dekker doesn't reveal this). Discuss how this verse relates to the natures of man, and also the characters of Kevin, Slater and Sam.
11. Agatha Christie wrote in her autobiography about her dislike of mysteries having a romantic subplot. Do you agree or disagree with her views? If so, do you feel the romance aspect enhanced or detracted from the story?
12. What did you like or dislike about the book that hasn't been discussed already? Were you glad you read this book? Would you recommend it to a friend? Do you want to read more of Ted Dekker's works?
13. Feel free to share a favorite passage. We can discuss whether the passage reveals anything specific about one or more characters or how it relates to the story as a whole.