Orhan's Inheritance Reading Guide & Discussion Questions

Book Club Discussion Questions

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For supplemental discussion material see our Beyond the Book article, Kilim and our BookBrowse Review of Orhan's Inheritance.

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

1. Setting plays such a significant role in Orhan's Inheritance. How do the two settings, Karod village in Turkey and the Ararat Home in Los Angeles, affect the characters?
2. Why do you think Kemal dies the way he does? What is the symbolism of the vat of dye?
3. Orhan's early photography was so focused on abstraction that he failed to see the world around him clearly. How does Orhan's early photography compare with his later work, when he takes up the camera again? In what way does he see the world differently? What role do photography and drawing play in the novel? What is the connection between photography and memory?

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