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QUESTIONS
- How does Aw immediately create an atmosphere of tension and violence? Is it clear who is in conflict with whom?
- What kind of father is Karl?
- Why does Margaret lie to Mick about not recognizing Karl in the newspaper photo?
- The novel is set in a specific place and time. Does it have universal themes?
- Many people have hurt Adam, some of them unintentionally. Who has harmed him and in what way? Who has done the most damage to the boy?
- Why is Johan angry with his adoptive family? What does he want?
- Most of the characters have been displaced and live in places where they were not born. How do these people identify themselves? How are identities murky or confused in the novel?
- Several characters live in worlds that are initially alien to them. How do they adapt to new environments?
- If there’s one thing the novel’s characters have in common, it’s their troubling memories. What are the pasts that these individuals want to forget or, in some cases, struggle to recall?
- There are scenes in which Adam and Johan remember going to the sea. What’s the importance of the sea?
- Why is Margaret oblivious of Din’s treachery? Why is Adam unable to be honest with Margaret about what Din is up to?
- Karl has a romantic and almost childlike view of his adopted country. He calls Indonesia a paradise, but does he really belong there?
- Why are Karl and Margaret drawn to each other? How are they alike? Why does their relationship fall apart?
- What is the invisible world?
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