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Book Club Discussion Questions
The following questions are suggested to provide a lively discussion of "Sigourney’s Quest".
The Questions are divided into three sections:
Part 1, Chapters 1-5: The circumstances leading to Sigourney’s decision to go to Tibet
Part 2, Chapters 6-18: Sigourney’s journey from Kathmandu to Lhasa
Part 3, Chapters 19-26: Sigourney’s pilgrimage to the Samye monastery and subsequent flight from Tibet.
Part One: chapters 1-5
Chapter 1: Sigourney faces personal hurdles in her life, which are symbolized by the formidable Himalayan Mountains rising before her. Can you think of symbols that have represented barriers in your life or in the lives of people you know? It is apparent when Sigourney meets with the tour group and visits the Boudhanath Stupa that she faces some daunting challenges in her upcoming quest. What does her determination to go forward, despite her fears, say about her personal character?
Chapter 2: Sigourney’s confrontation with her daughter is typical of the confused roles teenagers and parents must deal with today, especially when families split apart. Are Sigourney’s self doubts and reaction justified? Martha Winters introduces the idea of an afterlife in her last meeting with Sigourney, one based on personal belief, not religion. Is there a place for such beliefs in today’s society? If so, why?
Chapter 3: What do you think about Dr. Bowen’s suggestion that Debbie live with her father and his girl friend for a short while? Is this an appropriate solution to Debbie’s anger towards her mother? Martha tells Sigourney in the first note that Sigourney’s spirit is linked to Martha’s great grandmother, Anne Hopkins. Is it possible for people to be linked spiritually through time? When Sigourney learns the significance of the date on Anne’s diary and that her arch rival, Brad Paxton, might discover it, she decides to take Dr. Bowen’s advice and send Debbie to her father so she can go to Tibet. Do you think this is appropriate, or is she placing her own interests ahead of her daughter’s?
Chapter 4: Once Sigourney begins making plans for her trip to Tibet, she suddenly finds life worth living again. Have you or someone you know ever experienced such a revelation? Is it sometimes necessary to put one’s own interests ahead of loved ones in order to regain a belief in oneself?
Chapter 5: Buddhists believe their spirits repeat a cycle of deaths and rebirths until they are pure of thought and purged of selfish desires. Only then can they reach Nirvana. Sigourney begins to wonder if there is such a thing as fate, and when she reads Anne Hopkin’s opening entries, she learns about Anne’s desire to achieve Nirvana. Do you know anyone who believes this? Is such a thing is possible?
Part Two: Chapters 6-18
Chapter 6: In Kodari, Sigourney faces her first test when she is confronted by Chinese soldiers on the Friendship Bridge and throws herself to the pavement. Have you ever faced, or known anyone who has faced, such a scary encounter? How did you react. How do you think you would have reacted in Sigourney’s place? Later, the group gets to know a little bit about each other when Jenny asks everyone to play a game. What are your initial reactions to the members of the tour group? Do any of them remind you a people you know? Which ones do you like? Dislike? Why?
Chapter 7: Do you think Sigourney is right to be worried when Mr. Ho suddenly joins the group? Is her reaction a reasonable one? Why or why not? After the incident at the bridge, she finds herself thinking about her husband’s infidelities with his secretary, Peggy. Has anyone you know experienced this? Do you think Sigourney should have forgiven him? What does this show about Sigourney’s character? Is her reaction a sign of strength or weakness?
Chapter 8: The delay at the glacier shows how differently Tibetans approach time. To them, it is not something to be hurried or fretted about. Deadlines are not as important as in our Western cultures. Many parts of the world share this philosophy about time. Have you visited any countries where you have experienced this? Where? In Nyelam, an old woman hands Sigourney a small wooden statue and talks about returning Buddha where he belongs. This is the third time the Tibetans have hinted that they know about her quest. Sigourney finds herself facing spiritual worlds that make no sense to her, yet she is beginning to give them credence. Should she? How can she reconcile such bizarre events with her own world? Do you think her acceptance of Tibet’s spiritual world can help her quest?
Chapter 9: When the group is stopped at a Chinese checkpoint, Sigourney quickly realizes how unprepared she is for unexpected contingencies and how vulnerable she is, but John’s quick thinking saves her from being discovered. What would have happened to her if he hadn’t reacted so quickly? John now knows for certain that she is hiding something from the Chinese. How might this change their relationship?
Chapter 10: How do you think Sigourney’s shyness and lack of self confidence around boys in school affected her relationship while being courted by Roger? Should the incident on campus have been enough to warn her? Was her need for him too great for her to understand his promiscuous behavior?
Chapter 11: Sigourney is unable to sleep because of the high altitude, but it gives her a chance for some introspection. After the incident at the check point, she realizes turning back is no longer an option. She has no choice but to continue moving forward. What new insights does she gain about herself? How is her quest changing her? Early the next morning, she sees John emerge from a battered car and enter the rear of the hotel. He obviously does not want to be seen. How does Sigourney react to this scene? What does she think John is up to?
Chapter 12: When the group visits the Sakya Monastery, Sigourney completes her first “lingkor,” a spiritual walk around the back of the main altar. She is at peace until Cameron creates such a scene it releases the pent up anger she has carried inside of her for the past six months. Why does Cameron’s behavior make her so angry? When she confronts him, he threatens her. How does he threaten her, and what is her reaction? Sigourney then learns that Marie-Rose is pregnant from an affair with a married man, sparking memories of her husband’s deceit. How does she react to this news?
Chapter 13: When Sigourney chats with John the next day, she learns that the Tibetans are convinced Buddha’s teachings are being returned to them, which explains the heightened Chinese security. Sigourney realizes they are referring to her manuscript. John also tells her that he finds her attractive and brave. How does she react when he reveals these two startling bits of news?
Chapter 14: Sigourney becomes unnerved when an old woman at the Tashilhunpo Monastery has a fit in which she hears an oracle, and she flees into a maze of alleyways. As she walks, she is visited by Anne Hopkins’ spirit. What does the spirit tell her? How does her message relate to Sigourney’s quest? When Mr. Ho sends Chinese guards to look for her, she is befriended by a monk who offers to help her. Then he turns her over to her captors. Was she foolish to trust the monk? How does she escape? What happens when she returns to the van? When John rescues her, she finds she must put all her trust in him, if she is ever going to trust a man again. Have you ever found yourself in such a situation with a man or woman? How did you feel? Could you empathize with Sigourney’s doubts?
Chapter 15: Sigourney receives a warning when a shadow crosses the eyes of the stupa in Gyantse. Have you ever experienced a premonition that something will happen? Is such a thing possible? Later, she hesitantly reveals Anne’s diary to John. Why does she find it harder to tell him about the diary than the manuscript?
Chapter 16: How does Sigourney feel as she begins the last leg of her quest to reach Lhasa? Have you ever experienced similar feelings near the end of a journey? In order to pass the last checkpoint, Sigourney must “give up the manuscript in order to save it.” What does this mean? Can you think of a similar decision in your own life or in the life of someone you know? What are Sigourney’s emotions when she sees Lhasa? How are these emotions affected by the overwhelming Chinese presence?
Chapter 17: When Sigourney reaches Lhasa, she finds Brad Paxton waiting for her. What is your image of Brad Paxton? Have you known someone like him that can make your skin crawl
Chapter 18: Sigourney is a woman in her forties, but she experiences all the feelings associated with a school girl’s first kiss when she kisses John. What do you remember about your first kiss? How does it compare with Sigourney’s “first kiss” with John? The next morning, Sigourney discovers that Brad Paxton has identified her to the Chinese authorities and that they are looking for her. Describe her reactions to his betrayal and her emotions when she realizes she has become a fugitive.
Part Three: Chapters 19-26
Chapter 19: When Sigourney meets the Karmapa at the Tsurpu Monastery, she is given the opportunity to leave the manuscript with him and return to John and her tour group. Why does she decline his offer? What does she propose to do?
Chapter 20: Once Sigourney disguises herself as a Tibetan pilgrim, she believes she has completed the transformation to Anne Hopkins. What does this mean? Explore the different levels of this transformation. Sigourney rides a horse for the first time and finds the experience physically daunting. By the end of the first day, she can hardly stand and is on the verge of giving up. Have you or someone you have known faces a similar situation? The first night on the trail, she encounters a Bon spirit. What do you think the spirit was trying to tell her?
Chapter 21: When the leader of the caravan she has joined learns about her visit by a Bon spirit, he detours from the planned route in order to discuss the incident with a shaman. Why does he do this? What does Sigourney think the spirit was trying to say? What does the shaman tell her? The next night, she is finally able to talk to John on the cell phone he has given her. How does she feel after he hangs up?
Chapter 22: When Sigourney and Sukhang prepare to cross the busy road that blocks their route to the Samye Monastery, a police car suddenly appears. What saves them from discovery and capture? How does Sigourney’s experience parallel Anne Hopkins’ when she arrives in Lhasa? Later, Sukhang tells Sigourney about the difficulties confronting the Tibetans in the face of China’s efforts to undermine their way of life. What are Sigourney’s thoughts? When they enter a village, Sigourney comes face-to-face with an American tour group led by a Chinese guide. What are the Americans’ comments about the Tibetans and the village? How does Sigourney react? That night, she must flee under the cover of darkness when the Chinese guide becomes suspicious and alerts the police. How do the Tibetans save her from being discovered
Chapter 23: Sigourney enters the Samye Monastery at night and returns the manuscript to the Tibetan monks, completing her quest. Describe her emotions and thoughts at this poignant moment. Can you describe a time when you have experienced such a satisfying moment? Sigourney also needs to verify that Anne Hopkins did come to the Samye Monastery one hundred years ago. Is she able to do so? How?
Chapter 24: Describe Sigourney’s dream-like state as she begins the last leg of her journey. What are the Tibetans saying about her? After they enter the Himalayan Mountains, an avalanche sweeps Sukhang away before her eyes. How is Sigourney saved from sharing his fate? Describe her emotions once she digs herself out of the snow and surveys her surroundings.
Chapter 25: When John calls Sigourney on the satellite phone he gave her, he wakes her and saves her life. What must she do to revive her body and prevent herself from freezing to death? Why does he ask her to repeat his instructions? After the storm passes, she discovers that the cell phone is dead, but she keeps talking to John. Can you think of more than one reason why she does this?
Chapter 26: When Sigourney reaches Bhutan, she finds similarities and differences from Tibet. What are they? As her journey ends, she realizes she has undergone significant changes within herself. How has her life changed as a result of her quest? Can you think of an incident that changed your life or the life of someone you know?