1. How does Charlotte’s fate relate to that of the seal woman in the folk tale?

2. Is Charlotte the seal woman?

3. What is the role of silence in this story? The role of talk?

4. What does the story say about healing powers of art? Of nature? Of story?

5. Are there traces of magical realism in the story?

6. Does the story feel like historical fiction, in that the character’s life is shaped by historical events?

7. How does the character of Charlotte grow and change in the course of the novel?

8. What does Charlotte learn about art from Max?

9. What does she learn about art on her own?

10. How does she apply art in her personal struggle?