The
Fairfax Library Book Discussion Group will meet Thursday, April 9th at 7 p.m.
to discuss our April book (the One Book/One Marin selection) At Night We
Walk in Circles by Daniel Alarcón.
Discussion
questions are below.
Here
are some links for additional background and information:
One Book One Marin website
with list of events
Michael Krasney interview
with Daniel Alarcón
Alarcón
has taught writing classes in the Peru prison, Lurigancho, considered one of
the most dangerous prisons in the world.
Read about the prison here. Note that there is a link to a documentary
about the prison on the story’s webpage.
Coming
up, we have the following books to look forward to reading:
Thurs.
May 14 The
Good Lord Bird by James McBride
Thurs.
June 11 Catch-22
by Joseph Heller
Thanks
for reading with us. I look forward to seeing you at the Fairfax Library.
Beth Bailey-Gates
Friends
of the Fairfax Library
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
At Night We Walk in Circles by Daniel
Alarcon
1. Henry and Nelson live in a country where words have consequences. What are those consequences for each character?
2. This is a book about characters acting in a play. How do the roles change the characters? What other play acting occurs in the novel?
3. How has the history of war and violence in the country affected Henry and Nelson?
4. How does Nelson’s inability to emigrate to America affect him and his decisions? Does it affect those around him?
5. How did the novel’s mysterious narrator affect your reading of the unfolding story of Henry and Nelson? Did learning his identity change your view of the story?
6. How is storytelling important in the novel and in other ways?
7. What is the significance of political theater in the novel?
8. The book’s title is based on a Latin palindrome (In girum imus nocte et consumimur igni - “we enter the circle at night and are consumed by flame”) How does the circular theme play out throughout the novel?
9. Performances figure largely in the novel. Are the performances a representation of reality or do they become the reality themselves?
10. At Night We Walk in Circles takes place after the war, or “anxious years” of the unnamed South American country. How does that affect the actions of the characters? How would the characters have been different during wartime, rather than a time of peace?
11. Is the unnamed South American country doing better after the war? Are there areas of life in the country that are harder for the residents?
12. Mirrors are a recurring theme throughout At Night We Walk in Circles. What do the references to mirrors signify?
