Problem 1: How do you feel about Lucy's neighbor Petrus? To what extent do you think he was involved in the attack? What are his motives?
Problem 2: What do you think is meant by the word "disgrace"? Who experiences the greatest disgrace in the book - David, Lucy, Bev, Melanie or anyone else?
Problem 3: How is David affected by his work in the animal hospital, taking it upon himself to put the deceased dogs in the incinerator? Why does Coetzee choose to end the book on this note?