Vampires in the Lemon Grove Reading Guide & Discussion Questions

Book Club Discussion Questions

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For supplemental discussion material see our Beyond the Book article, The Grotesque in Literature and our BookBrowse Review of Vampires in the Lemon Grove.

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

1. Discuss the relationship between Clyde and Magreb, the two vampires in the title story whose hundred-year marriage is tested when one of them develops a fear of flying. Do you think the author believes they have a good marriage? What is the impact of Clyde's inability to transmute? Consider this quote from the beginning of the story: "I once pictured time as a black magnifying glass and myself as a microscopic flightless insect trapped in that circle of night. But then Magreb came along, and eternity ceased to frighten me." What is the author saying here about mortal—and immortal—love?
2. How might "Vampires in the Lemon Grove" be read as a parable of appetite and addiction? Note the linguistic forms in which the author couches references to the vampires' need for blood.
3. "I blinked down at a little blond child and then saw that my two hands were shaking violently, soundlessly, like old friends wishing not to burden me with their troubles. I dropped the candies into the children's bags, thinking: You small mortals don't realize the power of your stories" (p. 13). What is the author saying here about the nature of truth, the power of myth, and the role of storytelling in shaping identity?

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