Priest

What type of protagonist is Tyler? How does he treat Poppy and interact with other people? Simone published Priest before the #MeToo movement became widely known, but how does Tyler anticipate the movement’s emphasis on consent?

Compare Priest with another book that mixes sex and Christianity. For example, what do Poppy and Tyler have in common with Hester from The Scarlet Letter? How does Tyler relate to Arthur Dimmesdale? Alternately, what parallels exist between Tyler and Doubt’s Father Flynn?

Tyler often relates his sexual relationship with Poppy to other sexual abuse scandals. Under what moral or ethical rubric are such comparisons valid? How do Poppy and others encourage Tyler to shift his moral framework?

Priest is an erotic romance, yet it has much in common with famous, less sexually explicit stories. Tyler says, “I wanted to move forward, I wanted to explore this new life, and I wanted to start exploring it right the hell now” (414). Similarly, in When Harry Met Sally, Harry says that he wants to begin his life with Sally as soon as possible. Compare Priest to a famous film like When Harry Met Sally, and analyze how Priest follows the “romcom” structure.

Discuss Poppy in terms of feminism. How is she an empowered woman? How do her views on sex work challenge (or not challenge) patriarchal assumptions? Why does she like rough sex, and how does she present her choice to have rough sex?

In an interview, Simone cites Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre as one of her favorite romantic novels (Grant. “Interview With Sierra Simone, One of the Authors of Naughty Brits.” New in Books, 15 Sept. 2020). What do Jane Eyre’s Jane and Rochester have in common with Poppy and Tyler?

Unpack the theme of Finding Fulfillment in Spite of Restrictive Norms. How does sex satisfy Poppy and Tyler? How does the satisfaction compromise Tyler? What other ways do the characters fulfill themselves?

Focus on the symbolism behind the adult entertainment venue and St. Margaret’s. How do both places create powerful exchanges and feelings? How do Tyler and Poppy break down the boundaries between the two seemingly disparate spaces?