Discussion Questions
Use our LitLovers Book Club Resources; they can help with discussions for any book:
• How to Discuss a Book (helpful discussion tips)
• Generic Discussion Questions—Fiction and Nonfiction
• Read-Think-Talk (a guided reading chart)
Also consider these LitLovers talking points to help get a discussion started for Strangers:
1. Just how dull is Paul Sturgis? Why do women feel disappointed in him once they come to know him? What is it he lacks—is it some inherent personality trait? Finally, is it possible to be too nice?
2. How does Paul view his bachelorhood and reclusiveness? Is he lonely, does he realize he is lonely, or does he take pleasure in his quietude? In fact, in reference to Question 1, does living a solitary existence, or a life of the mind, make one dull?
3. Talk about Paul's visits to the widowed Helena—how do the two relate, or not relate, to one another? To what degree does an insistence on decorum interfere in their relationship? Can etiquette and manners be sort of a protective shield for some people?
4. Talk about Vicky Garnder. In what ways does she challenge Paul or complicate his life? Is she a suitable companion for him, long-term or short-term?
5. How does meeting Sarah after so many years affect Paul?
6. What is Paul's attitude toward aging and his own eventual (sooner than later) death? Does Brookner do a good job of explicating what it feels like to age? You might talk here about the thematic significance of the book's title.
7. In what way, if any, is Paul changed by the end of the story? What does he come to realize?
8. What was your experience reading this novel? Did you find its interiority overly tedious? Or did you find it penetrating and insightful. Does Brookner make you care for her characters?
(Questions by LitLovers. Please feel free to use them, online or off, with attribution. Thanks.)
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