THE SINGING AND DANCING DAUGHTERS OF GOD
Newly divorced and feeling the pain of separation from his family, Hud Smith channels his regret into writing country-western songs, contemplating life on the lam with his 8-year-old daughter, and searching cryptic postcards for news of his teenage son, who has run off with The Daughters of God, an alternative Gospel-punk band of growing fame.
In this endearing misadventure that threatens to turn out right in spite of it all, Schaffert writes a thin line between tragedy and hilarity, turning wry humor and a keen sense of the paradoxical onto characters who deserve all the tender care he gives them.
Newly divorced and feeling the pain of separation from his family, Hud Smith channels his regret into writing country-western songs, contemplating life on the lam with his 8-year-old daughter, and searching cryptic postcards for news of his teenage son, who has run off with The Daughters of God, an alternative Gospel-punk band of growing fame.
In this endearing misadventure that threatens to turn out right in spite of it all, Schaffert writes a thin line between tragedy and hilarity, turning wry humor and a keen sense of the paradoxical onto characters who deserve all the tender care he gives them.
- Unbridled Books
- Paperback
- 2005
- 256 Pages
- 9781932961126
Buy the Book
$14.95
About Timothy Schaffert
Timothy Schaffert grew up on a farm in Nebraska and currently lives in Omaha. He’s the author of the critically acclaimed novel, The Phantom Limbs of the Rollow Sisters. His short fiction has been published in several literary journals and he’s won numerous awards, including the Mary Roberts Rinehart Award and the Nebraska Book Award.
Praise
“Achy-breaky dysfunction drives a messy, funny family drama in this smalltown Nebraska tale, told in a winning faux-naïve style . . . film, along with music, plays a wonderful incidental role throughout. . . . Deft,sweet and surprising.” —Publishers Weekly
Discussion Questions
What will become of Hud and Tuesday’s relationship, following their adventure to South Dakota?
Discuss the theme of fight/flight throughout Hud and Tuesday’s relationship, both in their direct interactions with each other, and their interactions through their children.
How is Hud’s relationship to music, and the writing of songs, different from that of Gatling’s?
How does church and religion inform the characters’ lives? In what do the characters have the greatest faith?
What affect do the movies have on the characters’ sense of romance? How do movies affect their senses of themselves?
What role does Halloween play in this novel, and why do you think the author featured this holiday rather than another?
How are children both treasured and protected, or not, in this novel?
The book begins with Hud’s ruminations about how society comes together over tragedy, grief, and loss. Is this book a tragedy, a comedy, or both?
How did Hud’s and Tuesday’s marrying young affect their lives and inform their regrets? What is their sense of family and sense of community, and how does this play out both in the family break up and in their hopes for reuniting?
Why do you think the author chose such distinctive names for his characters? How do the names develop the characters for readers?
How do Hud’s and Tuesday’s youthful expectations for moving beyond the limitations of their town color their sense of the future, their attitudes about their marriage, and their relationships with their children?
How much of their nostalgia for a better time is genuine and how does it affect their dreams for a future?
What role does music play in this novel?
Is this a love story? If so, whose?