The Mirror Thief Reading Guide & Discussion Questions

Book Club Discussion Questions

Print PDF

For supplemental discussion material see our Beyond the Book article, Sixteenth Century Venice and our BookBrowse Review of The Mirror Thief.

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

1. The Mirror Thief takes place in three different locations, all of which are named Venice. This seems to indicate that in addition to being a setting for the plot, the concept of "Venice" animates the novel as an idea in itself. What is this idea?
2. The word "Venice" never actually appears anywhere in The Mirror Thief, despite the fact that it is quite obviously set in three different places named Venice. What could be the significance of this? Why would the author refrain from using the name of the locations?

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