Book Club Discussion Questions
For supplemental discussion material see our Beyond the Book article, Honor Killings and our BookBrowse Review of Maps For Lost Lovers.
Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!
ABOUT THIS GUIDE
Aslams . . . prose is stylistically dazzling, full of poetic, richly descriptive and tender passages. . . . His characters inner lives are explored in-depth, flaws and all. . . . A novel as affecting as it is provocative. Los Angeles Times Book Review
The introduction, discussion questions, suggestions for further reading, and author biography that follow are designed to enliven your groups discussion of
Maps for Lost Lovers, the spellbinding and often heart-wrenching new novel by the Pakistani-English writer Nadeem Aslam. At once a story of romantic longing and sexual repression; a portrait of a community of Asian immigrants surreally isolated in rural England; and a shocking yet empathetic foray into the mindand heartof religious extremism, Maps for Lost Lovers transplants themes as timeless as those found in Romeo and Juliet into the religious and ethnic minefields of modernity.
FOR DISCUSSION
- Early in the novel, Shamas remembers a visitor from Pakistan who was so impressed by Englands affluence that he imagined the Queen venturing forth in disguise to discover the desires of her subjects. How does one reconcile this attitude with the characters other feelings about England?
- Maps for Lost Lovers is fraught with images of nature: Jugnus prized moths and butterflies, the peacocks that invade his house after his and Chandas disappearance, the lilacs used to entice fish, the flock of Indian rose-ringed parakeets that mysteriously appear in English gardens. How does Aslam use these images to evoke mood, explore his characters psychology, and even advance his plot? Is there a difference in the way he treats the natural elements of England and Asia? Which seems more natural?
- Many of Aslams characters, Kaukab chief among them, have rejected English culture and manners, and even the English language. But some of them feel that it is England that has rejected them: We are stranded in a foreign country where no one likes us [p. 278]. Does Aslam give the reader any evidence to support this claim? Are his Asian characters only responding to English racism, or does the book describe a more nuanced interaction between different kinds of small-mindedness and mistrust?
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- How does the author develop themes of identity and belonging throughout the narrative?
- What role does the setting play in shaping the characters' decisions and relationships?
- Discuss how the ending reframes the events of the story. Were you surprised?
Unless otherwise stated, this discussion guide is reprinted with the permission of Vintage.
Any page references refer to a USA edition of the book, usually the trade paperback version, and may vary in other editions.