Questions: Stitches

Childhood is often painted as a time of joy and ignorant bliss.  Unfortunately, it is often just the opposite, a time of darkness in which the child knows only too well how helpless they are to the whims of the adults in their lives.  David Small has given us a glimpse of his journey out of that darkness.

1)  Illness, both mental and physical, are the main focus of the book, which is set in the 50's.  How do you think things would turn out differently for him if his story were taking place today?

2)  The relationship between David and his mother is given the most attention throughout the book.  What conclusions did you come to about her?  In the epilogue, it is revealed that she was in almost constant pain due to her birth defects.  Does this change your perception of her behavior?

3) How does his mother's behavior change when they go to visit his grandmother?  It is implies that his grandmother is very religious.  How might this have affected his mother?

4) What is your opinion of David's father?  Keeping the time in mind, do you think he could have done anything better?

5) When he is a child, David discovers a fetus in a jar at the hospital he father works at.  He is haunted by the image and has nightmares about it.  Do you think the fetus is symbolic, and if so, what of?

6) Why do you think David's parents decided to keep his cancer a secret from him?  Was it his father's guilt alone, or was something else influenced their silence?

7) The inability to communicate, both physically and emotionally, defines David's childhood.  He instead expressed himself through art, which in turn he has used here to finally break the silence about those events.  What purpose does the book serve, both for the author and the audience?

8) I felt that throughout the book, there was a pervasive fear that the family history of insanity would carry on through him.  How does David fight this?  At what point do we feel that David is in the clear?

9) Why do you think David depicts his therapist as a white rabbit?

10) Small has described Stitches as a silent film disguised as a book.  It is largely wordless.  How do you feel his art captures the experience of living in a silent household?  Is it sufficient to make up for the lack of dialogue?  Do you have a favorite image from the book?