I truly LOVED this book and it's one I wouldn't have picked up on my own, so I'm very thankful for my book club members at this moment!!! I've gathered some questions that I think will lead to a good discussion. If you would like to discuss other points that I've left out, please leave a comment and we'll be sure to include these things at our next meeting!
SPOILER ALERT!!! Some questions may reveal too much about the book and it's ending. So finish the book before reviewing the questions!!!
1. How would you rate the book from 1-5 (5 being the best)?
2. Did any of the history of Afganistan surprise you?
3. Mariam's mother tells her: "Women like us. We endure. It's all we have." Discuss how this sentiment informs Mariam's life and how it relates to the larger themes of the novel.
4. Growing up, Laila feels that her mother's love is reserved for her two brothers. "People," she decides, "shouldn't be allowed to have new children if they'd already given away all their love to their old ones." How does this sentiment inform Laila's reaction to becoming pregnant with Rasheed's child? What lessons from her childhood does Laila apply in raising her own children?
5. Mariam refuses to see visitors while she is imprisoned, and she calls no witnesses at her trial. Why does she make these decisions?
6. Laila's father tells her, "You're a very, very bright girl. Truly you are. You can be anything that you want." Discuss Laila's relationship with her father. What aspects of his character does she inherit? In what ways is she different?
7. By the time Laila is rescued from the rubble of her home by Rasheed and Mariam, Mariam's marriage has become a miserable existence of neglect and abuse. Yet when she realizes that Rasheed intends to marry Laila, she reacts with outrage. Given that Laila's presence actually tempers Rasheed's abuse, why is Mariam so hostile toward her?
