Dinosaurs Reading Guide & Discussion Questions

Book Club Discussion Questions

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For supplemental discussion material see our Beyond the Book article, Novels About Trying to Do Good and our BookBrowse Review of Dinosaurs.

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

1. Lydia Millet's Dinosaurs opens with a bird's-eye view of Arizona. What about this perspective on the world captivates Gil? How does the idea of looking at the world from above shape the course of this story? Are there other moments in the novel when something is depicted as though seen from above?
2. "There was something about Ardis. Momentum—you couldn't refuse her. It was easier not to" (p. 13). Does Gil think of his actions in terms of ease and difficulty? Are there other characters who think in these terms? When does Gil refuse someone? What is the significance of refusal for him?
3. Many different visions of freedom come up in Dinosaurs. We learn about Gil's youthful dream of giving away all his money, his grandmother's statement that "freedom can only be found in the mind" (p. 214), and Ted's idea of a selfish freedom based on impulses. What is the significance of freedom for Gil? For Ardis and Ted? For Sarah? For Tom? Does Dinosaurs arrive at a new understanding of freedom? How would you describe it?

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