Book Club Discussion Questions and Guide for Stone Angels by Helena Rho

1. The author includes two epigraphs at the start of the novel, one from Jane Austen's Persuasion, and one from William Shakespeare's Sonnet 116. After reading the novel, why do you think she chose these excerpts, in particular? How do they reflect the novel's major themes? How many variations of love do you see in the novel?
2. In the prologue, Gongju has a dream about her sister, Sunyuh, while she's pregnant with Angelina. After reading the novel, what do you think the dream signified?
3. Discuss the ways in which motherhood is depicted in the novel. How did each mother (particularly Grandmama, Gongju, and Angelina) influence the way her daughter behaved and later raise her own children, for better or worse?
4. When Angelina first arrives in Seoul, she feels distant from her culture. She insists she is Angelina Lee, not Yi Sunyuh. Discuss the events that contributed to Angelina's feelings of cultural confusion, and her motivations for taking language classes at Konkuk University. Compare and contrast these experiences and motivations with those of her fellow classmate, Keisuke.
5. The novel sheds light on the little-known history of girls and young women who were victims of Japanese Military Sexual Slavery during WWII. Before reading the Author's Note, were you aware of this aspect of history?
6. In chapter six, Angelina says: "History will repeat itself if we don't change the pattern of hiding secrets ... The truth is sometimes unbearable, but eventually, it releases you." Una disagrees: "I think the truth is sometimes so painful one cannot live with it." Where do you fall in this debate?
7. Discuss the motif of water in the novel, and the symbolic role it played in Gongju, Sunyuh, and Angelina's lives.
8. What was the moment you realized Angelina's connection to Lars wouldn't last? Why was the affair a necessary stepping stone for her relationship with Keisuke?
9. Angelina was raised to believe it was the epitome of good manners to hide her feelings, to be stoic. Do you believe it's better to spare others the weight of one's feelings, or speak them honestly?
10. Of the three women who narrated the novel, who was your favorite? How did Angelina, Gongju, and Sunyuh mirror one another in the novel, personality and experience-wise? Did you chalk these similarities up to genetics? The way the women were raised? Discusss.

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