Discuss Salt Houses by Hala Alyan

What does "home" mean to you? Do you think any of the characters in the book truly found a home after the family left Palestine?

Jul. 29, 2018
by millicentg

Were you surprised by the revelation that it was Atef who pushed Mustafa to stay in the Six-Day War? How did it change your understanding of those two characters?

Jul. 29, 2018
by millicentg

While there are many take aways from reading "Salt Houses" what most stood out to you?

Jul. 29, 2018
by millicentg

Does Salma's garden function as a symbol of something larger in this book? What does it represent to you?

Jul. 19, 2018
by scgirl

What was your impression of Abdullah, Riham's stepson? Were you anticipating a different trajectory for his character?

Jun. 30, 2018
by vickic

Alia thinks to herself that "nostalgia is an affliction." What do you think she meant by that? Do you agree or disagree, and why?

Jun. 30, 2018
by vickic

What do you think influences Mustafa to become involved in increasingly violent politics?

Jun. 26, 2018
by scgirl

Did you find Alia, Atef and Salma's secret preference for one of their children a realistic portrayal of how parents feel about their children--and do you understand why each of these parents favored the particular child they did?

Jun. 23, 2018
by audrey1

How does viewing history through the prism of these individual lives change the way you think of those historical events?

Jun. 23, 2018
by audrey1

Of the main characters--Alia, Atef, Souad, Riham, Manar, and Linah--which do you think shows the most interesting development throughout the novel?

Jun. 23, 2018
by audrey1

In what ways are Alia and Souad alike? Did you find their relationship to be believable, as a mother and daughter?

Jun. 20, 2018
by BarbaraLynn

Do you agree with Atef's interpretation of a life? If not, what is yours?

Jun. 20, 2018
by janeto

Do you agree the author missed an opportunity to provide the reader with a more realistic picture of their lives?

Jun. 19, 2018
by scgirl

What similarities or differences did you notice in how Souad and her mother handled similar circumstances?

Jun. 19, 2018
by janeto

Do you think Atef prefers to be an observer of life rather than a participant? How does his approach to life differ from that of his wife?

Jun. 16, 2018
by acstrine

Why do you think Manar felt the need to visit Palestine alone, without her family or the father of her unborn child? Do you think she found what she was looking for?

Jun. 16, 2018
by acstrine

What do the two very different uses of the word salt evoke for you, as a reader?: the Salt Houses of the book's title and Alia who "would have smashed the windows and salted the earth" before leaving her mother's house in an invasion.

Jun. 16, 2018
by acstrine

Do you think Souad's parenting style reflects any particular aspects of how she was raised by Alia and Atef?

Jun. 14, 2018
by paulagb

How do Salma, Widad, Riham and Manar differ, in your opinion--and how are those differences reflected in the way other characters react to each of them?

Jun. 14, 2018
by scgirl

In what ways do you think Alia's life--including her emotional life and relationships--fulfill the two interpretations of her mother's vision?

Jun. 13, 2018
by dianaps

What parallels do you see between Mustafa and Karam?

Jun. 13, 2018
by dianaps

We have migrated to a new forum for book club discussions, please join us for our latest discussions on the BookBrowse Community Forum.

Salt Houses

Discuss Salt Houses by Hala Alyan

What does "home" mean to you? Do you think any of the characters in the book truly found a home after the family left Palestine?

Were you surprised by the revelation that it was Atef who pushed Mustafa to stay in the Six-Day War? How did it change your understanding of those two characters?

While there are many take aways from reading "Salt Houses" what most stood out to you?

Does Salma's garden function as a symbol of something larger in this book? What does it represent to you?

What was your impression of Abdullah, Riham's stepson? Were you anticipating a different trajectory for his character?

Alia thinks to herself that "nostalgia is an affliction." What do you think she meant by that? Do you agree or disagree, and why?

What do you think influences Mustafa to become involved in increasingly violent politics?

Did you find Alia, Atef and Salma's secret preference for one of their children a realistic portrayal of how parents feel about their children--and do you understand why each of these parents favored the particular child they did?

How does viewing history through the prism of these individual lives change the way you think of those historical events?

Of the main characters--Alia, Atef, Souad, Riham, Manar, and Linah--which do you think shows the most interesting development throughout the novel?

In what ways are Alia and Souad alike? Did you find their relationship to be believable, as a mother and daughter?

Do you agree with Atef's interpretation of a life? If not, what is yours?

Do you agree the author missed an opportunity to provide the reader with a more realistic picture of their lives?

What similarities or differences did you notice in how Souad and her mother handled similar circumstances?

Do you think Atef prefers to be an observer of life rather than a participant? How does his approach to life differ from that of his wife?

Why do you think Manar felt the need to visit Palestine alone, without her family or the father of her unborn child? Do you think she found what she was looking for?

What do the two very different uses of the word salt evoke for you, as a reader?: the Salt Houses of the book's title and Alia who "would have smashed the windows and salted the earth" before leaving her mother's house in an invasion.

Do you think Souad's parenting style reflects any particular aspects of how she was raised by Alia and Atef?

How do Salma, Widad, Riham and Manar differ, in your opinion--and how are those differences reflected in the way other characters react to each of them?

In what ways do you think Alia's life--including her emotional life and relationships--fulfill the two interpretations of her mother's vision?

What parallels do you see between Mustafa and Karam?

Sorry, Salt Houses by Hala Alyan is closed for new posts.
Please go to bookbrowse.com/onlinebookclub for a full list of conversations.

We have migrated to a new forum for book club discussions, please join us for our latest discussions on the BookBrowse Community Forum.

Discuss Salt Houses by Hala Alyan

Sorry, Salt Houses by Hala Alyan is closed for new posts.Please go to bookbrowse.com/onlinebookclub for a full list of conversations.

Sorry, Salt Houses by Hala Alyan is closed for new posts.
Please go to bookbrowse.com/onlinebookclub for a full list of conversations.