Where There Was Fire Reading Guide & Discussion Questions

Book Club Discussion Questions

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For supplemental discussion material see our Beyond the Book article, The United Fruit Company: The Scourge of Central and South America and our BookBrowse Review of Where There Was Fire.

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

1. The fictional American Fruit company plays a large role in the novel, and in the lives of the Cepeda Valverde family for generations to come. What are some of the challenges Tácito and José María face while working at the American Fruit Company?
2. What did you know about how bananas were grown and the pesticide Nemagon before reading this novel? Has it changed how you feel about the fruits you consume and how they're produced?
3. There are a lot of secrets in this book, from corporate cover ups to deeply hidden family secrets. What resonated the most with you and why?

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