Reading guide for All Our Yesterdays by Joel H. Morris

Reading Guide Questions

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

1. What, if anything, did you know about Lady Macbeth before reading this novel? Has this story changed your impression of her? If so, how?
2. In what ways do characters shape one another's identities in this novel? To what extent is Lady Macbeth changed by her marriages and by her motherhood? How is Macbeth changed by his new role as husband and stepfather?
3. What is achieved by including multiple perspectives and timelines in this novel? What would be different if it had been set in only one timeline and narrated from only one perspective?
4. What does this novel seem to say about gender norms and expectations in Lady Macbeth's era? Where do you see the relevance of these themes today?
5. Lady Macbeth has traditionally been seen as a villain of sorts. Do you think this story has a "villain"? If so, who or what do you think that is?
6. Where does the Boy fit into the conflicts and themes that arise? What does his childlike perspective reveal about the adult world and its values?
7. Consider the price of power in this novel. What do various characters sacrifice to achieve power? Is the power ultimately worth the sacrifice?
8. This novel deals with themes of prophecy and free will. To what extent do you think the Lady had a choice over her actions and her fate?
9. Consider the novel's conclusion. How are larger themes (gender, power, fate, free will) resolved in the final pages?
10. Are there any other Shakespearean characters you'd want to read a backstory for? If so, who, and why? How about any other literary figures?

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