Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Questions for Reflection


Hello B-FABers - sorry for the hiatus...going back to work full-time means less time to post here (Waaaaaaa). So I have finished our first book and have very mixed feelings on it. I am really looking forward to our discussions next week.

I thought I would post some questions to reflect on before we meet, so have a look. They come from the author, Chris Cleave's web site - I chose the ones that I liked, so feel free to check out his site for more questions:

Little Bee tells the reader, “We must see all scars as beauty. Okay? This will be our secret. Because take it from me, a scar does not form on the dying. A scar means, I survived” (p. 9). Which characters in the story are left with physical scars? Emotional scars? Do they embrace them as beautiful? Do you have any scars you’ve come to embrace? Did you feel more connected to Little Bee as a narrator after this pact?How did it affect your reading experience to have two narrators? Did you trust one woman more than the other? Did you prefer the voice of one above the other?

Little Bee credits a small bottle of nail polish for “saving her life” while she was in the detention center (p. 7). Is there any object or act that helps you feel alive and beautiful, even when everything else seems to be falling apart?
Little Bee figures out the best way to kill herself in any given situation, just in case “the men come suddenly.” How do these plans help Little Bee reclaim some power? Were you disturbed by this, or were you able to find the humor in some of the scenarios she imagines?


When Little Bee finds that Andrew has hanged himself she thinks, “Of course I must save him, whatever it costs me, because he is a human being.” And then she thinks, “Of course I must save myself, because I am a human being too” (p. 194). How do the characters in the story decide when to put themselves first and when to offer charity? Is one human life ever more valuable than another? What if one of the lives in question is your own?

Ohhhhh, such good questions - If you can't resist commenting...then please do! I'll share what you wrote at our Club.

For Q & A with the author, click here.

Happy Reading!
xoxo

2 comments:

  1. I have mixed feelings about the book too and am totally looking forward to the discussion next week. Great questions!

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  2. Glad it's not just me...just got a hilarious email from Tara saying that she lost her book before finishing it...so I guess she never did? hahaha...worst book club member EVER!!!!

    See you tonight EFAB!

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