Loot Reading Guide & Discussion Questions

Book Club Discussion Questions

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For supplemental discussion material see our Beyond the Book article, The Automaton: Tipu's Tiger and our BookBrowse Review of Loot.

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

1. What are the different factors that go into social class/caste in Mysore at the time we meet the characters? How are these boundaries enforced (and broken) within the different communities of Indians and Europeans?
2. Discuss how Abbas's creativity is nurtured and stifled by different people throughout his life. As a child, it's said that "his mind glitters with ideas, yet he has no idea of how much luck he will need" (86)—what kind of "luck" does he receive, and what kind does he miss out on?
3. Discuss the relationship between Du Leze and Abbas. What is the balance between transactional and genuine connection? How does their teacher-student bond transcend the cultural stigmas of the time?

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