The Unsettled Reading Guide & Discussion Questions

Book Club Discussion Questions

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For supplemental discussion material see our Beyond the Book article, Homelessness and Traumatic Brain Injuries and our BookBrowse Review of The Unsettled.

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

1. Many of the employees at Glenn Avenue judge Ava for behaving as if she is too good to be there. Is this judgment justified? From what we know of Ava's perspective of and experience at the shelter, why is she so determined to not accept it as her and Toussaint's home?
2. Throughout the book, the characters refer to themselves and their homes by numbers: 813 is Ava and Toussaint's room at Glenn Avenue; 248 becomes Ark. What effect do these references have on the characters' ability to achieve a sense of home? Are the numbers more or less distancing—and/or do they prevent too much attachment in a world where home is unpredictable?
3. Discuss the different vantage points we have of Toussaint while he and his mother stay at Glenn Avenue—from his perspective, his experiences at school and venturing around the city, versus how Ava sees his behavior and general appearance when he comes home every afternoon. How does the shifting perspective throughout the novel provide a more holistic view of Toussaint and other characters, as well as reflect the state of their lives? Which narration seems most accurate—a character's view of themselves, or someone else's?

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.