There Is a Rio Grande in Heaven Reading Guide & Discussion Questions

Book Club Discussion Questions

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For supplemental discussion material see our Beyond the Book article, Displacement and Migration as a Theme in Speculative Fiction and our BookBrowse Review of There Is a Rio Grande in Heaven.

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

1. Throughout the collection are vignettes titled "An Alternate History of El Salvador or Perhaps the World," reimagining historic moments in Salvadoran history. How do these passages impact your reading of the collection?
2. In "He Eats His Own," Neto is obsessed with homegrown mangoes, even as the obsession costs him his relationship. What do the mangoes symbolize?
3. The stories shift between science fiction, satire, and magical realism. What is the effect of this broad spectrum of genres? What larger point does it make about storytelling?

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