The Painted Drum

On the opening page of the novel, Faye is literally at a crossroads while leaving the cemetery and thinks, “There is no right way. No true path. The more familiar the road, the easier I am lost” (3). Why does Faye feel lost even in familiar territory? By the end of the novel, would Faye still agree that “there is no right way”? Why or why not? Is she still lost, or has she found her way?

What is the basis for Faye and Kurt’s unusual relationship (love? power? need?), and what does it reveal about each of their characters? Why do they only meet at night and remain aloof towards one another during the day? Why does Faye think of herself as circling Kurt, “dragging my chain” (21)? How does their relationship change at the end of the novel, and why?

Contemplating the relationship between mothers and daughters, Faye proposes that mothers are “held to a standard so exacting that it has no principles” and are thereby always “to blame” (20). Discuss how the mothers in this novel—Elsie, Anaquot, and Ira—are both blameworthy and defensible. If blame is an important element of mother-daughter relationships, how is forgiveness, as well?