Guilt, Responsibility, and Morality

In I Have Some Questions for You, Makkai crafts a complex portrait of guilt and culpability by holding both Robbie Serenho and Denny Bloch responsible for Thalia Keith’s death. For much of the novel, Bodie firmly believes that Bloch murdered Thalia; late in the narrative, however, she deduces that Robbie is the true culprit. Despite this revelation, she continues to hold Bloch responsible—in an indirect sense—for Thalia’s death. She notes, “I was wrong about you, too, Mr. Bloch, but I don’t feel that wrong… My point is, you were a part of the machine: an arm, a leg. You drove the getaway car. You threw bricks through the window and someone else grabbed the jewelry. You distracted the feds while the spies got away. You held her down while someone else beat her. You shot the deer and...