Book Club Discussion Questions
Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!
ABOUT THE BOOK
Matt is a clone of El Patrón, a powerful drug lord of the land of Opium,
which is located between the United States and Mexico. For six years, he has
lived in a tiny cottage in the poppy fields with Celia, a kind and deeply
religious servant woman who is charged with his care and safety. He knows little
about his existence until he is discovered by a group of children playing in the
fields and wonders why he isn't like them. Though Matt has been spared the fate
of most clones, who have their intelligence destroyed at birth, the evil
inhabitants of El Patrón's empire consider him a "beast" and an "eejit." When El
Patrón dies at the age of 146, fourteen-year-old Matt escapes Opium with the
help of Celia and Tam Lin, his devoted bodyguard who wants to right his own
wrongs. After a near misadventure in his escape, Matt makes his way back home
and begins to rid the country of its evils.
Prereading activity
Ask students to write down their definition of science fiction. Then have
them discuss the meaning of cloning. Have them debate whether a novel about
cloning is by their definition considered science fiction.
Discussion questions
- Matteo Alacrán is the clone of El Patrón, the lord of the country called
Opium, and lives in isolation until children playing in the poppy fields
discover him. Why is he so eager to talk to the children, after he is warned
against it? Why is Mariá especially attracted to Matt?
- Describe Matt's relationship with Celia. Why is she the servant chosen
to care for Matt? Celia snaps at Matt when he calls her mama. Then she says
to him, "I love you more than anything in the world. Never forget that. But
you were only loaned to me, mi vida." Why doesn't she explain the term
loaned to Matt? Celia really believes that she is protecting Matt by keeping
him locked in her cottage and ignorant about his identity. Debate whether
this type of protection is indeed dangerous for him. How does Celia continue
to protect Matt throughout his life on the Alacrán Estate?
- After the children discover Matt, he is taken from Celia and imprisoned
in a stall for six months with only straw for a bed. How might prison be
considered a metaphor for his entire life? Who is the warden of his prison?
Discuss the role of Mariá, Celia, and Tam Lin in helping him escape his
prison.
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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 Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.
Any page references refer to a USA edition of the book, usually the trade paperback version, and may vary in other editions.
