Book Club Questions

The House With The Lilac Shutters and other stories

General Questions:

Are there situations and/or characters you can identify with?  If so, how?

What major emotion(s) did the stories evoke in you as a reader?

What passages strike you as insightful, even profound?

Is the ending satisfying? If so, why? If not, why not…and how would you change it?

Has this collection changed you—broadened your perspective?

Have you learned something new or been exposed to different ideas about people or a certain part of the world?

Specific Questions:

Why does M. Lenoir try to kill himself?

In ‘Carer’, does your sympathy lie with Angelique or Sid,  Aubrey’s son?

What role do the carers play in the stories/society?

Genevieve asks Theo, ‘I wonder though, what are you like underneath?’

What is Theo like, underneath?  (‘Secret’)

What does Nico know?

‘All this time and Marie didn’t think Irma knew, but she did.’  What do you think Irma knows? (‘Irma Legrasse’).

What is Guillaume’s attraction to women? (‘After the Afternoon’)

Why does Genevieve decide to return to Hugo?

Who is your favourite character from the stories, and why?

‘Journey Back Home’ is written in the first person, from Eddie’s point of view; ‘Carer’ is written in the third person, from Angelique’s perspective. Discuss in what ways these different styles affect your perception of both the stories and the vulnerable characters within them.

Which character (or story) would you like to know more about? or Who should the next story be about?