Townie Reading Guide & Discussion Questions

Book Club Discussion Questions

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For supplemental discussion material see our Beyond the Book article, Andre Dubus - Father & Son and our BookBrowse Review of Townie.

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

1. Although the chronology of Dubus's memoir spans his life from young childhood until 1999, Townie opens with a vignette from his adolescence, in which he goes long-distance running with his father. Why does Dubus begin his story with this particular event? What do we learn from this scene alone about Dubus's life?



2. Although Andre's father was a writer known for the insight and empathy expressed in his fiction, he seems clueless about his children's day-to-day suffering. His mother is also largely unaware. Why?



3. Why does the young Dubus "like" what he sees in the school fight he witnessed at the age of twelve: "I liked seeing the blood spattering across his nose and mouth and chin, and I especially liked how tightly his eyes were shut against the fear, and the pain."

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