Sunburn

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. Sunburn is the critically acclaimed debut novel of Irish author Chloe Michelle Howarth. What was your impression of the novel? Did it live up to the praise it has received?

2. What was your favorite part of Lucy’s journey? What part of Lucy’s self-discovery was most impactful to you?

3. How does Sunburn compare to other romance novels and other coming-of-age novels? If you have read other LGBTQ+ coming-of-age novels that involve romance, does Sunburn fit within that genre?

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

1. Some readers report that the last two chapters of Sunburn are devastating, often citing the collapse of Lucy and Martin’s relationship and the promise of a new relationship with Susannah. How did the ending make you feel? Were you happy to see Lucy and Susannah reunited in Crossmore?

2. The novel makes a strong argument against oppressive and normative views in small towns. How does Crossmore compare to your hometown? How do the views of the residents of Crossmore compare to your own?

3. Unlike Susannah, Lucy feels deeply connected with Crossmore, even though Crossmore does not accept her as a lesbian. Did you find Lucy’s behavior realistic? Were there points when you felt frustrated with Lucy’s or Susannah’s behavior?

4. A primary issue in the text is antigay bias. How does the modern world differ from small-town Ireland in the early 1990s? Has much changed? How so?

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

1. The novel is first and foremost about Lucy’s development from a teenager to an adult. How does Sunburn comment on this process? How does Lucy’s sexuality impact that process?

2. Reflecting on David Norris and the push to decriminalize being gay in Ireland, how does Howarth’s novel fit within that setting? If the novel took place a decade earlier or later, what would be different?

3. The topic of sexual awakening is critical to the novel, even if Lucy and Susannah’s specific sex acts are not discussed. Why is sexuality so important to development? How is it even more important for Lucy?

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

1. The novel is written in interior monologue, which is a type of stream-of-consciousness writing that shows the inner thoughts of the main character. Why did Howarth choose to tell Lucy’s story this way? What were the benefits of this tactic, and what might have been done differently with third-person narration?

2. Susannah, Lucy, and Martin develop over the course of the novel, though Lucy is the focus of the text. How do their stories intersect? How do they encourage each other to grow or not to grow?

3. Why is it critical that Sunburn take place in a small town? What would be different if the story took place in Dublin or a major city in another country? Could Sunburn take place in a small town near you?

4. Lucy consistently notes her reasons for wanting to stay with Martin or leave him for Susannah. What are these reasons? Which reasons do you think are valid? Why does Lucy repeat her reasons so frequently?

5. Near the end of the novel, Lucy sees the coffee table that she and Martin buy as a symbol of their relationship. How is the coffee table symbolic of romance? What does it mean to buy a coffee table together?

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. Check out music, television shows, and movies that were popular in Ireland during the early 1990s. Can you imagine Lucy and Susannah watching or listening to these things? How do they impact your view of the setting of the novel?

2. Howarth has suggested that her next novel, Heap Earth Upon It, will be a sequel to Sunburn. What do you want to see in a sequel?

3. Imagine that you are Lucy prior to leaving Crossmore, but you decide to abandon your family and friends to live authentically with Susannah. What happens next? How could Lucy have handled that situation, and what would be the consequences of such a choice?