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Discussion Name 2018 Book Club Discussions
Topic Name Music of the Ghosts by Vaddey Ratner
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Music of the Ghosts


A love story for things lost and restored, a lyrical hymn to the power of ...
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Discuss Music of the Ghosts by Vaddey Ratner

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Last Post

There are many layered relationships in the novel, in which certain figures become stand-ins or foils for another. Which relationships of this type did you see throughout the story?

1

Apr. 07, 2018
by reene

Judging by Ratner's description in the book, would you describe the Cambodian culture as "a culture of impunity"?

3

Apr. 09, 2018
by darleneg

The old pharmacist who encouraged Naruun to study medicine told him that ignorance "is its own kind of hell." What do you think he meant? What is your view?

8

Apr. 10, 2018
by alissac

What is your definition of justice? Is there a difference between justice and retribution, as the Old Musician suggests?

4

Apr. 13, 2018
by janb

Teera sometimes feels that when names like Pol Pot's live on in history books and in our collective awareness, that it's a "triumph of evil." Do you think this is the case?

22

Apr. 13, 2018
by pennyp

Teera believes there's an inviolable tie to one's homeland. Do you agree? Why do think the old couple on the plane are happy to return to Cambodia when it's been the place of such tragedy?

10

Apr. 17, 2018
by juliaa

Do you think Sokhon and Tun were right to abandon their daughters on the eve of war? Is this abandonment more cruel or more kind?

9

Apr. 17, 2018
by reene

Consider the modern children in the book; how do you feel they are affected by the legacy of the war and genocide?

6

Apr. 18, 2018
by MarieA

Ghosts

9

Apr. 18, 2018
by Lerrgoo

Do you think choosing to forget is helpful or hurtful for the Cambodians? Is the same true of other war-torn nations?

19

Apr. 18, 2018
by donnag

Do you think the Old Musician was right to do what he did in Slak Daek? What would you have done in the same situation?

16

Apr. 18, 2018
by donnag

Which type of solitude do you think is more painful to Teera, and why?

4

Apr. 19, 2018
by reene

Do you see Teera and Narunn recreating new, non-traditional families for themselves in the war's aftermath? What "families" did you find throughout the novel?

3

Apr. 19, 2018
by reene

Do you think Teera's identity is divided? If so, in what ways? Do you think she feels this divide before returning to Cambodia?

9

Apr. 19, 2018
by sylviaann

Much of Music of the Ghosts explores how we survive in the face of inhumanity but it doesn't sugarcoat the lasting effects on its characters' psyches. Would you say that the novel has an optimistic message?

7

Apr. 19, 2018
by sylviaann

Several times in the novel, Teera's first encounters are infused with questions from the past. How does the author's writing convey this interplay of perception, hope, and memory? What does it reveal about the characters?

3

Apr. 19, 2018
by sylviaann

Teera wonders how Yara could have lived through the deaths of all her children: "Perhaps the question isn't how anyone can live like this...but what makes them want to live in a world indifferent to their struggle?" How would you answer?

7

Apr. 20, 2018
by sylviaann

Theme of music in the book.

9

Apr. 20, 2018
by sylviaann

What wrinkles or variances in the laws of karma have delivered the Old Musician to an enclave of mercy?" What do you think about karma? Do things eventually right themselves or is this an illusion?

5

Apr. 22, 2018
by donnag

Difficult reading

30

May. 08, 2018
by janee

Were you alive during the Cambodian genocide of 1975-1979. If so, where were you, and do you remember hearing about events in that country during that time or later?

21

May. 08, 2018
by janee

Does the novel succeed?

15

May. 08, 2018
by juliaa

Do you think Mr. Chum becomes a father figure for Teera during her visit to Cambodia?

12

May. 08, 2018
by janee

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