Held Reading Guide & Discussion Questions

Book Club Discussion Questions

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For supplemental discussion material see our Beyond the Book article, Hertha Ayrton and our BookBrowse Review of Held.

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

1. Anne Michaels' background as a poet is a clear influence on Held, the language of which is spare, challenging and full of vivid imagery. The Booker judges said that 'few books can achieve a pitch of poetic intensity sustained across a whole novel'. How did Held's 'poetic intensity' affect your reading of the novel? Did it heighten the book's emotional impact?
2. Held is structured unconventionally as a series of fragments, moving forwards and backwards in time, rather than as a traditional linear novel. Why do you think Michaels structured the book in this way? Could its fragmentary nature be seen as a more accurate representation of the way we experience and remember our lives than novels that follow a more conventional path?
3. In an interview with the Booker Prizes, Michaels said, 'We measure history by events and actions, but this book wants to assert a different measure for history, the real and powerful effect of our inner lives – what we believe, what we value, what we love, what we aspire to'. To what extent would you say Michaels has succeeded in asserting this 'different measure'?

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.