1. Compare the five major female characters (Cathy, Elena, Vittoria, Sofi, and Teresa) with respect to the types of courage they show in their different situations.

2. Soon after we meet Cathy we realize that she is in danger, and eventually we learn that she has fled from people who want to kill her. Yet we see her worrying more about Stephen than about herself. How would you explain this?

3. What are the values that drive Cathy? How is her fate determined by a strict adherence to her values?

4. Describe the relationship between Elena and Stephen. Can you imagine it evolving into something else?

5. Compare the responses of Vittoria and Sofi to the loss of their husbands. How do they evolve as characters?

6. Teresa emerges relatively late as a character in the novel. How do her motivations change from the time Mario is arrested to the end of the story? Why do they change?

7. Adriana, though a minor character, plays a role in advancing the emotional awareness of some characters. What effects does she have on Cathy, Stephen, and Teresa?

8. Are Stephen’s actions motivated by ideology? If not, what drives him?

9. If Stephen’s friends knew that he was helping the CIA, how would they react? How would he justify his actions?

10. Discuss the issue raised by Stephen in his conversations with John and Bill about where to draw the line in dealing with terrorists.

11. Do John and Bill conform to your image of CIA agents? How does the author humanize them? What drives them?

12. Carlos and Boyd have definite ideas of what should be done economically and politically to create stability in Argentina. What do you think of their ideas?

13. Which characters take advantage of opportunities presented by the war of terror, and how do they exploit the suffering of other people?

14. In the background of the novel is the rise of “liberation theology” in Latin America, an attempt by some clerical and lay members of the Catholic Church to redirect its focus toward helping the poor, freeing the oppressed, and achieving social justice. Where do you see its influence in the novel?

15. Explain what Paco means when he says: “The only way to stop the killing is to stop the killing.” How does this idea relate to the book’s title?

16. How do Stephen’s perceptions of the Montoneros evolve during the course of the novel?

17. Does Stephen achieve redemption by the end of the novel?