I Will Die in a Foreign Land Reading Guide & Discussion Questions

Book Club Discussion Questions

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For supplemental discussion material see our Beyond the Book article, Ukraine's Babushkas: The Women Who Refused to Leave Chernobyl and our BookBrowse Review of I Will Die in a Foreign Land.

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

1. This is a novel of historical fiction that largely focuses on the 2013–2014 Ukrainian revolution, but it also dives deeply into the history of the people, country, and region. What are some things that you learned about Ukraine and its history that you did not previously know?
2. The author chose to title the novel I Will Die in a Foreign Land: why do you think this is fitting? Which characters literally leave their homeland? What deeper meanings can you draw, considering the ancient and modern Slavic history that is sprinkled throughout the book?
3. The novel is comprised of multiple main narratives, spanning different periods of time, that are braided together along with frequent asides featuring folklore, history, and news related to Ukraine: what effect did this structure have on your reading experience? How do the asides add value to the main narratives and plot?

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