Interview, Excerpt

 Over the Edge Discussion Questions: by Brandilyn Collins

1. How did Jannie’s childhood experiences as the daughter of an alcoholic help define her marriage?

 
2. If you experienced the sudden symptoms Jannie experienced at the beginning of the book, what would you think was wrong?

3. If you know someone with Lyme disease, how are their symptoms similar to or different from Jannie’s?

 
4. Describe a time in your life when you willed yourself to praise God through difficulty.

 
5. To what extent did Jannie’s desire to have the perfect home and marriage allow her to close her eyes to hints that her husband was having an affair?

 
6. Did you ever feel any sympathy for Stalking Man? Why or why not?

 
7. Did you ever feel any sympathy for Brock? Why or why not?

8. How did Jannie exhibit strength in the midst of her body and mind being so weak?

 
9. Psalms 94:17–18 says, “If the Lord had not been my help, I would soon rest in the silence of death. If I say, ‘My foot is slipping,’ Your faithful love will support me, Lord” (hcsb). To what time in your life does this verse most apply?

 
10. What Bible verse has been particularly helpful to you when you were going through a difficult time?

 
11. What was the most tense part of the story for you?

 
12. What part of the story most surprised you?

 
13. At the end of the book, how is Jannie a better person for having gone through her trials?

 
14. Describe a difficult experience in your own life that has made you a better, stronger person.

 
15. Did you want Jannie and Brock to get back together at the end? Why or why not?

 
16. At the beginning of the book Stalking Man spills ticks “over the edge” of their bottle onto Jannie. At the end Jannie nudges a tick “over the edge” of a glass to capture it. What symbolism is there in the use of the book’s title in these two scenes?

 
17. What have you learned about Lyme disease and its treatment from reading Over the Edge?

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