Carpentaria Reading Guide & Discussion Questions

Book Club Discussion Questions

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For supplemental discussion material see our Beyond the Book article, Aboriginal Land Rights and our BookBrowse Review of Carpentaria.

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

This reading group guide for Carpentaria by Alexis Wright includes an introduction, discussion questions, and ideas for enhancing your book club. The suggested questions are intended to help your reading group find new and interesting angles and topics for your discussion. We hope that these ideas will enrich your conversation and increase your enjoyment of the book.


Introduction
In the sparsely populated northern Queensland town of Desperance, loyalties run deep and battle lines have been drawn—between the powerful Phantom family, leaders of the Westend Pricklebush people, and Joseph Midnight's renegade Eastsend mob—and their disputes with the white citizens of the neighboring towns. When the Gurfurrit mine moves in, making uneasy alliances to support its ownership of the region's land and rich mineral resources, it aggravates an already complex relationship between Uptown whitefolk and Pricklebush Aboriginals. Trapped between politics and principle, past and present, the indigenous tribes fight to protect their natural resources, sacred sites, and above all, their people. From outcast savior Elias Smith, religious zealot Mozzie Fishman, murderous mayor Bruiser, queen-like Angel Day, to activist Will Phantom and ruler of the family, Normal Phantom, the characters of Carpenteria transcend their circumstances and challenge assumptions about the downtrodden "other."


Questions for Discussion

1. Some critics have praised Wright for her use of magical realism in Carpentaria, while others suggest it is more realistic than not. What aspects of the novel would you say are elements of magical realism, and what are elements of realism? How did this technique affect your reading of the novel?
   
2. Examine the significance of names in this novel, such as those of the Aboriginal characters Angel Day, Normal Phantom, Joseph Midnight, and Mozzie Fishman. Do the "whitefella" names carry as much meaning? Why or why not?
   
3. The opening of the novel describes an ancient serpent winding its way across Australia to create its rivers and tunnels, particularly in the mudflats of the Gulf of Carpentaria. The inside knowledge of this coastal region and the underground river that is also the snake, our narrator tells us, is Aboriginal Law. Using examples from the novel, discuss how a worldview like this influences the characters' daily lives.
   

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