Queen of Dreams Reading Guide & Discussion Questions

Book Club Discussion Questions

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For supplemental discussion material see our Beyond the Book article, and our BookBrowse Review of Queen of Dreams.

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

"A dream is a telegram from the hidden world." So writes the matriarch of Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni's mesmerizing Queen of Dreams. A novel that unites mystical, unseen worlds with the all-too-real dilemmas of modern life, this is the story of Rakhi's family–three generations with shared hopes and distinct memories. Rakhi is a single mother living in Berkeley, California, where she struggles to keep a teahouse in business while nurturing her career as an artist. Her mother is a dreamteller, born with the ability to experience and interpret the dreams of others. This double-edged gift allows her to preview fate, but isolates her from her daughter and husband. It is only through a painful, bewildering turn of events that Rakhi is at last able to know the truth about her mother's life in India, and her family's destiny in America.

Woven with the evocative, elegant storytelling that has made Divakaruni such an acclaimed literary treasure, Queen of Dreams provides numerous topics for further consideration. This is a tale from which you may be reluctant to awaken; we hope this guide will enhance your enjoyment of it.


Reading Guide

1. Compare Rakhi's parenting style to that of her mother's. To what do you attribute these differences? What universal wisdom about mothers and daughters does the novel convey?
   


2. Discuss the role of the snake and its presence in the life of Rakhi's mother. Does it provide enlightenment, or is it merely a messenger? Do you view it as an ominous or wise presence in her life?
   


3. What transformations occur in Rakhi after her mother's death? How do her attitudes toward Sonny and her father change? What obstacles prevented her from trusting them previously?
   

Unless otherwise stated, this discussion guide is reprinted with the permission of Anchor Books. Any page references refer to a USA edition of the book, usually the trade paperback version, and may vary in other editions.