Forgotten Country Reading Guide & Discussion Questions

Book Club Discussion Questions

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For supplemental discussion material see our Beyond the Book article, The Kwangju Massacre and our BookBrowse Review of Forgotten Country.

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

1. How do you interpret the book's title, Forgotten Country? What has been forgotten and how does that affect the characters and their decisions?



2. How do the folktales and past family histories woven together with the present-day narrative work together to tell a complete story?



3. Secrets and truth are hidden or revealed in varying degrees throughout the novel. What are some of these truths and secrets? What motivates the characters to hide the truth or seek it out?

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