A Short Walk Through a Wide World Reading Guide & Discussion Questions

Book Club Discussion Questions

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For supplemental discussion material see our Beyond the Book article, Librarians-Turned-Novelists and our BookBrowse Review of A Short Walk Through a Wide World.

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

Topics & Questions for Discussion

1. Brainstorm some adjectives you would use to describe Aubry. What traits make her especially able to survive? Compare her to other characters in the book, like Marta, the Prince, Qalima, and Lionel. Is there a character who resonates strongly with you?
2. The natural world is a core piece of A Short Walk Through a Wide World. What were some of your favorite descriptive lines evoking the landscapes Aubry traverses? How would the feel of the novel change if a majority of the plot took place on the streets of major cities?
3. From the spider on the boathouse "reaching out into its little universe" (page 70) to Pathik's eagle, animals animate Aubry's travels. Can you point to any instances where an animal might be a metaphor for something Aubry confronts, or even for Aubry herself?

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