On Folly Beach (56 page)

Q. You’ve played with different points of view in your previous novels, and in On Folly Beach, you decided to stay with third person throughout.Why did you decide on this particular point of view for On Folly Beach?

A. I always let the characters in my books “decide” on how they want me to tell their stories. Maggie and Lulu were adamant about not telling their stories in flashback, which made it necessary for me to jump back in time with them to tell their stories as they happened.

I chose not to write any of the women’s points of view (young Lulu, old Lulu, and Emmy) in first person because that would have made one story more prominent over the others, and I saw them all as being equally important.

Q. The planned Nazi invasion of the eastern seaboard is a fascinating footnote in history. Why do you think this isn’t something that is discussed much in school?

A. I wish I knew the answer to that question! I always thought that I had a pretty good education, both from my schooling and from my dad, who is a definite history buff, so it was a surprise when I first heard about it several years ago while on a trip to the Outer Banks, North Carolina.

I think the main reason why the whole episode has been relegated to history’s footnotes is because the worst that could have happened didn’t. In other words, if the D-day invasion hadn’t been the success it was in turning around the war, we would only be hearing about some big plan to end the war that was never actualized and then move on to the events that were. If the Germans had sent over more U-boats and effectively blockaded our coasts in 1942, we wouldn’t have been able to help England and her allies. That could have been the end of the war, which would, of course, have made it into the history books as more than a footnote. And those history books would probably be written in German, too.

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

Please note that some of the following questions reveal important plot points. Readers who have not finished the novel may want to stop at this point and return afterward.

1. Although Folly Beach, South Carolina, is a real place, “folly” also describes some of the mistakes the characters make throughout the story. What are some of these follies? 2. The story of the planned Nazi invasion of the East Coast is based on historical fact—is this something you already knew about before reading On Folly Beach? 3. Did you find Lulu a sympathetic character despite her habit of spying as a child and her abrasiveness as an adult? 4. Do you think Lulu can be held responsible for Peter’s death? 5. Despite Peter being a Nazi spy and a murderer, do you think he deserved to die? Was he truly a “bad” man? 6. Why do you think Maggie refused to evacuate her home before Hurricane Hugo hit? 7. Were Lulu and Robert wrong to not tell Maggie the truth about Peter being a Nazi spy for so many years? Do you think Maggie suspected the truth since she never wanted to go to the Atlantic House restaurant? 8. How many times did Lulu misinterpret what she observed, or do you think she was always correct in her interpretation? 9. Do you think Cat seduced Peter, or did Peter seduce Cat to not betray his secret? 10. Do you think Peter really loved Maggie? Do you think Maggie would have still left with Peter if she had known the truth about him? 11. Why do you think Lulu finally decided to tell the truth about the past to Emmy and her family? 12. Emmy and Lulu are linked with two different wars, and the effects of war on the homefront. What are some of the similarities between what they experienced because of war?