A political thriller about sexual misconduct in the #MeToo era, one victim’s battle to survive and overcome trauma, and the cable news machine that feeds off titillating scandal coverage and inflammatory confrontation, Final Table draws upon Dan Schorr’s experience as a New York sex crimes prosecutor to tackle the worlds of political and media dysfunction. Former White House staffer Maggie Raster is struggling to build her own consulting firm and overcome a sexual assault by an ex-boss. Kyler Dawson, a broke former poker champion, desperately needs to gain entry into a controversial international poker tournament. The host nation faces widespread condemnation for the murder of a US journalist, and a pending presidential executive order threatens to prohibits him from participating.
When Kyler approaches Maggie for assistance, she must decide whether to agree – in return for a portion of the potential $20 million prize. To succeed, she will have to confront significant adversity – personal and political, foreign and domestic– including mounting pressure to publicly address the misconduct of her former boss. Kyler also has his own obstacles to overcome, but if they each can outmaneuver their daunting challenges, he might win the tournament – and earn them both a fortune.
Fiction
Final Table: A Novel
September 1, 2021
Discussion Questions
Courtesy of Dan Schorr
- After Maggie is sexually assaulted by someone she trusts, she struggles with finding the best way to respond. If you were her friend and she confided in you about what occurred, what would be your advice?
- Several characters in the novel are looking for some form of justice because of past wrongs that they believe have been committed. Whose quest for justice is morally understandable? Does anyone’s tactics appear to be unfair? What resolution would be the appropriate “justice” for what Bryce did to Maggie?
- Final Table is told from the perspective of four different characters, who view the key events and issues of the novel in strikingly dissimilar ways. What is the significance of character perspective in Final Table and how does each person’s viewpoint impact their actions and how they view the other individuals?
- The poker scenes involve several instances of players trying to read other people, bluffing with weak hands, figuring out who is trying to bluff them, and employing other strategies of gamesmanship and manipulation. How do these same concepts appear in the non-poker plotlines of the book and which characters are the most adept at utilizing them?
- Does Kyler have a moral responsibility not to play in the Kingdom’s poker tournament? If so, at what point should he have withdrawn, or should he never have agreed to participate in the first place?
- Should Kyler have accepted Priya’s offer to drop out of the tournament in exchange for her support? How did his experience with Nolan impact his decision here?
- Maggie is a political consultant who aspires to become a pundit on cable TV to help her business. She finally gets offered an appearance if she’ll agree to take a position contrary to her own beliefs. Is it understandable for her to do this, or should she have refused to participate in the segment under those circumstances?
- What role does social media play in the narrative and how does that compare to your experiences and opinions about social media in society?
- What is the role of retaliation and retribution in the novel? Whose quest for retaliation and/or retribution is justified and how does the fear of retaliation shape Maggie’s decisions and the behavior of other characters?
- Does Nolan really deserve half of Kyler’s World Series of Poker winnings? If not, what amount is fair?
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