News of Our Loved Ones Reading Guide & Discussion Questions

Book Club Discussion Questions

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For supplemental discussion material see our Beyond the Book article, World War II's "War Brides" and our BookBrowse Review of News of Our Loved Ones.

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

1. The novel begins with an epigraph from Tim O’Brien: “To go home, one must become a refugee.” What is a proper definition of home? How is this paradoxical idea relevant to the experiences of the many characters throughout the novel?
2. Sensitive, teenaged Yvonne, in the midst of her physical hunger and her longing for a boy on a bicycle, believes that “pleasure and fear [are]...alike.” In what ways is this true?
3. Growing up in wartime imparts a very real awareness that “we might die today.” How does this profound knowledge affect Yvonne and other characters? Is there a way such threat could be valuable?

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