1. Does the narrator of these stories hold contempt for mankind or is she in desperate need of harmony? Is she obsessive, or simply efficient? A hypochondriac, or just overly health-conscious?

2. Why, do you think, the narrator who so dutifully describes herself to the reader in these stories never reveals her own name?

3. How would Charles Darwin's "survival of the fittest" theory apply to the passengers on the South Fork bus in the title story? Discuss the microcosm of the bus and how it applies to the society in which we live.

4. What are the narrator's view on domesticity? How does she regard the role of the husband/father? Wife/mother? How do you account for her numerous visits to Dr. Loquesto, the reproductive surgeon? Why does she feel like a "visitor from another planet" (p. 170) each time she's in another family's home?

5. When asked to describe life's ultimate goal, the speed-racing Dr. Loquesto replies: "There is no ultimate goal. I have to keep moving" (p. 58). Does the narrator adhere to this philosophy, or does she structure her life in direct opposition to it? How would you characterize the activities and rituals she holds so dear?

6. The narrator's husband refers to her acquaintances with people as "aimless, futile encounters:" (p. 116). How would you describe the relationships she has with the often-loathsome doctor, the clerk at Discount Drugs, and the driver who responds "that's just it" to everything she says? Are they her "friends?" How are these people necessary for her survival?

7. In "The Thrill is Gone," the narrator discusses her "loss of enthusiasm for everything" (p. 133). What has led her to this point in her life? What does she want from the world? Can you relate to her desires and discomforts?