Book Club Discussion Questions for Prima Facie by Suzie Miller

Book Club Discussion Questions

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For supplemental discussion material see our Beyond the Book article, How to Build an Emotional Safety Net and our BookBrowse Review of Prima Facie.

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

1. Had you ever heard before that the defense attorney's role is not to question whether or not their client is guilty or innocent - and in fact, it's ill-advised to ask the client if they are or not? If you have heard this ideology before, how did Prima Facie shape your views on this? If you hadn't heard this before, how did you react to that philosophy when it was first introduced?
2. How do class structures in the UK play a role in Prima Facie? How does it impact your opinion of Tessa and the other attorneys she works with?
3. How does the inclusion of Tessa's brother, Johnny, shape your view of Tessa's trauma? How would the narrative have differed if Tessa had a sister?
4. Alice struggles to believe Tessa, as she is friends with Julian and a coworker of his, which hurts Tessa greatly. Did you feel any connection to Alice or sympathy for her? Were you angry with her? Why do you think the author included this character?
5. Did the way the police officer treats Tessa shock you? Were you surprised by his aggressiveness or did you find it to be painfully realistic?
6. Tessa recalls a New Year's Eve Party from when she was 16, when she had an encounter with a boy named Steven. Why do you think the author chose to include this?
7. After witnessing how Tessa's testimony is picked apart, do you find it effective for the victim to testify in their own case? Why or why not?
BONUS QUESTION


8. If you saw the Broadway or UK run of Prima Facie, how did reading this narrative change your experience of the story? What resonated differently with you? What major changes from the stage version did you find most effective?

Unless otherwise stated, this discussion guide is reprinted with the permission of Henry Holt and Company. Any page references refer to a USA edition of the book, usually the trade paperback version, and may vary in other editions.