Reading Guide for The Stone Home by Crystal Hana Kim

Reading Guide Questions

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

Questions for Discussion


1. Throughout the novel, chapters switch focus between Eunju and Sangchul. What was the impact of this structural choice? When and how did this affect your view of the characters, and this story? Why do you think Kim chose to write The Stone Home in this way?
2. What was your first impression of Eunju? How did your sense of her character change throughout the story?
3. Consider the novel's epigraph, "Let Us Part Like This," a poem by Emily Jungmin Yoon. Read the poem aloud together. How does it relate to the story this novel tells?
4. Though the novel offers a stark and bleak depiction of a South Korean reformatory institution, it can be argued that this is also a hopeful narrative. Discuss your emotional takeaway.
5. What themes and symbols can you identify in the novel? What power do they have in the narrative, and did you notice them while you read?
6. Discuss the relationship between Eunju and Umma. How would you characterize it, and how did it evolve?
7. This books asks complex and at times difficult questions. For example, what does it truly mean to be a survivor? What other larger questions does this book ask of its reader?
8. How would you describe Kim's prose style? What are the distinct elements that drew you in to the world of the story?
9. Discuss the Author's Note included near the end of the book. How can fiction help us better understand history, especially difficult or shameful historical events? Can it?
10. Did this story prompt you to look up more information on this history? Where else might you look to learn more?

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