Bad Monkey

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. The book tackles serious issues like Medicare fraud, environmental destruction, and government corruption through dark humor. Did you find the satirical approach enhanced or diminished the impact of the real-world problems the novel addresses? What balance did Hiaasen strike between entertainment and social commentary?

2. How did you respond to Yancy as a protagonist throughout the novel?

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

1. How do you view characters who make significant moral compromises while fighting for causes you might support? Have you ever experienced a similar dilemma? How did you resolve it?

2. Bad Monkey delves into the environmental challenges that Florida faces. What environmental issues in your own community inspire strong reactions, and how do you channel those feelings?

3. In the novel, the systems meant to protect the public often seem to prioritize other interests instead. Have you witnessed or experienced this phenomenon in your life?

4. Do you believe people deserve second chances when their mistakes stem from character flaws rather than circumstances beyond their control?

5. Rosa and Yancy’s relationship develops amid the chaos of the investigation and includes some unconventional intimate moments. What did their dynamic reveal about finding connection during turbulent times?

Examine the book’s relevance to societal issues, historical events, or cultural themes.

1. How accurately do you think this portrayal reflects real challenges faced by states or regions heavily dependent on single industries?

2. What does the novel suggest about vulnerabilities in healthcare systems, and how do these fictional crimes relate to real-world healthcare fraud?

3. Throughout the story, environmental protection conflicts with economic development, from the spec house blocking Yancy’s view to Neville’s family land being sold for resort development. How should communities balance economic growth with environmental preservation? What role should individuals play in these decisions?

Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and symbolism.

1. What does Driggs’s journey from performing animal to Neville’s pet to the Dragon Queen’s payment illustrate about humanity’s relationship with nature?

2. Which satirical elements did you find most effective in delivering the novel’s environmental and social critiques?

3. Rather than featuring a single clear antagonist, the novel presents multiple villains, including Nick and Eve Stripling, Evan Shook, and corrupt officials. How does this structure reflect the book’s themes about systemic corruption versus individual wrongdoing? What does this suggest about the nature of the problems Hiaasen is critiquing?

4. How do the Florida Keys and Andros Island settings enhance the novel’s exploration of isolation, community, and environmental vulnerability?

5. What role does the pattern of karmic justice play in the novel’s moral framework?

6. How do environmental elements like the Key deer, Driggs, and the mangrove ecosystem function as more than setting details to advance the novel’s broader themes?

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. Bonnie burns down the spec house in a misguided attempt to win back Yancy’s affection, but what other solutions might have addressed the problem? Imagine alternative ways the conflict could have been resolved that would satisfy both Yancy’s environmental concerns and the community’s needs for development. What compromises or creative approaches could have prevented the destructive outcome?

2. Choose a character—Rosa, Neville, or even Driggs—and describe how a key scene would unfold from their point of view.

3. Design a sequel scenario where Yancy, now potentially reinstated as a detective, faces a new case involving environmental crime in the Florida Keys?

Need more conversation starters? Inspire your group with our Discussion Questions tool.