1. Out Backward is a novel with a strikingly original voice
which brings to life the Yorkshire patois of the young narrator,
Sam. What effect did this unique voice have on your reading
experience? 2. We learn that Sam has been shunned by his
community for the alleged sexual assault of a classmate, which
led to his subsequent expulsion from school. Is the community at
all to blame for Sam's later actions? Could things have unfolded
differently for Sam, or was his fate inevitable? 3. The
Marsdykes are a farming family trying to get by the only way
they know how in a town where land is quickly being bought up
and developed. How, if at all, does this "progress" affect both
Sam's family and Sam himself? 4. Is Joanna in any way
responsible for what happens to her in the novel? Does she
instigate the chain of events or lead Sam on in any way? Or, do
you see her as purely a victim? 5. How reliable a narrator do
you find Sam? At what point in the narrative did you reach that
decision? 6. How important do you think the