Book Club Discussion Questions
Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!
- In an interview, Amitav Ghosh said of his work, The Glass Palace, "one can examine the truths of individuals in history definitely more
completely in fiction than one can in history." Discuss this statement as it
pertains to the novel. Which truths do his characters reveal?
- Look closely at the characters whom Ghosh envisions in the most
detail, Rajkumar, Dolly, Uma, Arjun, to name a few. They become extraordinary in
our minds of the reader, as we travel with them through a century of social
upheaval and political turmoil. But according to the social structure, they are
all, or once were, relatively ordinary individuals. What is the effect of
focusing a novel of such grand, epic sweep, on members of common society? How
does this very subtle choice affect the story's shape? What does it tell us
about history, and how we have always been taught to remember it?
- Memory could almost be considered a character unto itself in
Ghosh's novel. For instance, Rajkumar's life is utterly driven and shaped by
his one, striking, boyhood memory of Dolly in the plundered Glass Palace during
the invasion of Burma. How does memory play into the lives of Ghosh's other
characters? Can you think of examples where memory compelled a character to
action, or impeded him from recognizing a particular truth? To what extent does
Ghosh suggest the existence of collective memory?
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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 Random House.
Any page references refer to a USA edition of the book, usually the trade paperback version, and may vary in other editions.