Book Club Discussion Questions
For supplemental discussion material see our Beyond the Book article, Capgras Syndrome and our BookBrowse Review of Atmospheric Disturbances.
Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!
Introduction
Hailed as a virtuosa storyteller, garnering comparisons ranging from Borges to
Murakami, Rivka Galchen has received a level of ebullient acclaim rarely bestowed
on debut novelists. Exploring the nature of love, identity, truth, and reality itself,
Atmospheric Disturbances is equally funny and fantastical, yet grounded in colorful
details capturing the conflicts of daily life.
At the heart of these quandaries is Dr. Leo Liebenstein, his missing wife, Rema, and
his psychiatric patient Harvey. The only clue Rema has left behind is an illusion of
herself, a cunning simulacra that looks, talks, and behaves just like the real Rema
and has fooled everyone but Leo. Attempting to unravel the mystery of spousal
replacement, he embarks on an investigation that leads him to the inner sanctum of
the Royal Academy of Meteorology in their cosmic conflict with the 49 Quantum
Fathers, and the unwelcome conviction that somehow heor maybe his wife, or
maybe even Harveylies at the center of these unfathomable developments. From
Buenos Aires to Manhattan, with many cosmic sojourns in between, Leos erratic
quest yields both a suspenseful psychological thriller and a moving love story.
Inventive and provocative, Atmospheric Disturbances deftly explores the nature of
human relationships, and how we spend our lives trying to weather the storms of
our own making.
Questions for Discussion
- Discuss the novels epigraphs. Does your own experience with love and friendship
match the observations of the French philosopher Gilles Deleuze? What is the effect
of reading a quote from the real Tzvi Gal-Chen, followed by scenes of a fictional
character who bears his name? How do Gal-Chens thoughts on prediction and
knowledge predict various outcomes in the novel?
- How much did you trust Leo as a narrator? What did you initially think the
novels mysteries were? How did you interpret the various clues provided by the
characters?
- What symptoms does Harvey have in common with his healers? How did Remas
scheme, coaching Leo through his impersonation, affect the mental health of the
other characters?
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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 Picador.
Any page references refer to a USA edition of the book, usually the trade paperback version, and may vary in other editions.