TOPICS/QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

1. What role, if any, does fate play in Larbi and Lorraine’s lives? Was their meeting “written?” What other events in the novel are (or are not) determined by fate?

2. How are the various characters’ religions and cultures portrayed? Are they stereotypes or authentic portrayals? Is Suzanne too rigid, Lorraine too “wishy-washy?” What about Larbi? Discuss some of the stereotypes in modern literature for the ethnic and religious groups in this novel. How do these characters compare/contrast?

3. The novel opens towards the end of the story with Lorraine’s death, then goes back in time. Would you have preferred not to know things that are revealed in the Preludes? Why do you think the author chose to structure the book this way?

4. What universal themes are dealt with in “The Bicycle Incident?” Lorraine says at one point during the episode that she feels “like a cliché.” Do you find her emotions and actions genuine? What about Ismail’s? Moktar’s?

5. Faith is a major theme throughout the novel. How do the characters’ beliefs and attitudes towards religion change with time? Did the novel cause you to reexamine some of your own attitudes?

6. This novel takes place in the 1960’s through the 1980’s, in a “pre-9/11” time frame. Are the events still relevant to today’s world? Why or why not?

7. What does the book imply about love and friendship and their transcendence of death? Do you believe this possible?

8. The story of Lorraine and Larbi is fiction, yet the author acknowledges that (as with all fiction) it is loosely based on her experiences. Do you think the story would have been more effective if written as a memoir in the first person? Can a work of fiction ever be as authentic – or “real” – as a work of non-fiction? Give examples of some novels you have read that passed – or failed – the “reality test.”

9. How does the novel explore the issues of prejudice and racism? On page 318, Abby quotes Edward R. Murrow who said that we are all victims of our past experiences, and thus all prejudiced. To what extent do you think this is true? Can we ever “eliminate our prejudices?”

10. Lorraine and Larbi must overcome many obstacles, both physical and emotional, to nurture their love and forge a successful marriage, blending in harmony while retaining their individuality. What are some of the special challenges they face as a "mixed couple?" In what respects are they like a "normal" couple? How does their relationship evolve when they settle in Morocco? When they have a child? Read Khalil Gibran's poem on marriage and discuss its relevance to the book. Is it really possible for a married
couple to be "alone and together" at once?

11. Each of the main characters – Lorraine, Larbi and Suzanne – is at some point in the novel a “stranger in a strange land.” How does each one deal with being a “foreigner” or “outsider?” What, if anything, do they share with all travelers and immigrants?

12. Do you think the ending is hopeful, optimistic? What will happen to Larbi? Suzanne? Ismail?