Find an old abandoned ship and head down there at night with some candles, bottle of vodka and two packs of smokes. Pack some thrown together corned beef sandwiches and take turns reading as you listen to the waves slap against the teetering, creaky old ship. Alternatively, if you don't feel like getting arrested for trespassing – go down to Captain Johns boat (at it's heyday in the early 80's) and talk about how you wish you were nineteen again over eight bottles of beer and some sub par fish and chips.

1. How did Kate’s values impact her behaviour and how did they change over the course of the novel?
2. All the inside photos are in black and white, yet also reflect the ruthless ambiguity of the horizon. How do Olson’s photos inform the book? (All options seem black and white yet while the future is unknown, we are unerringly veering toward it)
3. On the cover of the book, there is a photo of a porthole that looks like arms in bondage. Explore the themes of freedom and bondage in “Sailor Girl.”
4. (Insert name of man on Talking Books) says “Kate is our Huck Finn, the Great Lakes our Mississippi.” Discuss.
5. How is female anger expressed differently from male anger in the book? How are the results the same or different?
6. Explore the role of depression in the book.
7. What is compelling about water – connect to other sea voyages you have taken or read about?
8. What impact did Kate’s choice of reading material (Austen, Bronte, The Odyssey, A Year in Provence) have on her?
9. How do gender roles define the characters in “Sailor Girl?”
10. “Alcohol is a problem when it causes a problem.” To what extent did alcohol or the characters themselves cause problems in the book?
11. What is the equivalent of the seafaring world in your own life?

1. 1. Sailor Girl's Kate McLeod: Slut or just adventurous?
2. 2. Kate's choice: What's the appeal of the bad boy?
3. 3. Up and down the lakes and going nowhere: At 19, where is Kate headed?
4. 4. Finding Calvin: What is Kate on about when she recounts the story of the apple tree in the garden - her first sexual encounter - and Calvin?
5. 5. Life ashore and aboard: What are the roles of depression, alcoholism, work and the open water?
6. 6. Canadian encounters: From the lakehead to Cape Breton, how does Sailor Girl reflect on local and regional cultures?