How is pub life central to the village? What causes conflict among pub-goers?
Which characters keep secrets and why? What results from the secrecy?
Why does Esther insist on thinking that what happened to her was not rape?
What causes misunderstandings between characters?
What are the causes of internal conflicts in some characters?
How does the war affect relationships between parents and children?
What does it mean to the characters in the novel to “belong”? Who belongs and who is an outsider?
Why does Rotherham insist he is not a Jew?
Rotherham’s interactions with Rudolf Hess occur at the beginning and near the end of the novel. Hess has nothing to do with the villagers. Why did the author make him a character? What does he stand for?
How do language differences separate and alienate people?
How does speaking the same language unify people?
Look for examples of intolerance. Who is intolerant and why? Is the intolerance based on a real or imagined threat?
How do people in the book demonize their enemies?
One of the main themes of the novel is the power of words. What are some examples?
Questions compiled by Suzanne Fisher (fishers@uhls.lib.ny.us)
