Thunderstruck

How does the braided narrative build suspense and contribute to the effectiveness of the method in creative nonfiction?

How does authorial bias impact the characterization in Thunderstruck? Cora Turner, for example, is portrayed in a negative light from her introduction to her end. Use examples from the text in your response.

The author identifies fatal flaws in the primary characters, commenting on them early and often. Discuss these flaws both as they relate to key figures and the course of events outlined in the book.

The story is missing key details where the historical record was mute. How does the author navigate missing information in the record, and how is that vital to the authority of the story?

How does the Edwardian era’s fixation on the occult contribute to the public’s fixation on death, murder, and the great beyond? Cite examples from the text.

The murder at the center of the novel fascinated the Western world for a time. What value is added by bringing the murder back into the spotlight so many years after public knowledge and interest in the case has lapsed? No new evidence is introduced, and no new claims are made regarding the case.

Marconi was not a scientist but an inventor in the Silicon Valley “start-up” style. The author suggests this aligns inventions with magic acts and scam flash sales more than with the sciences. What danger does this phenomenon pose?

What does the author suggest drives people like Marconi and Tesla? Link their attributes to innovators and inventors of recent years.