Oxford Messed Up Reading Guide & Discussion Questions

Book Club Discussion Questions

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For supplemental discussion material see our Beyond the Book article, Van Morrison and our BookBrowse Review of Oxford Messed Up.

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

1. Why do you think the author titled the book Oxford Messed Up? What are the different ways the phrase "messed up" is used in the book? What are the implications of its various uses? Can being "messed up" be a good thing?



2. Do you see this as a traditional love story? How is the book similar to and different from other novels with romantic plotlines you have read in the past, and how do these differences or similarities affect the general themes of romantic love in this work?



3. How do Van Morrison and his music affect and inform Gloria and Henry and the other characters in the novel? Why does the author use Van Morrison music as the link between these two isolated souls?

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