Wonder Garden (Acompora) - Discussion Questions

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 you start a discussion for The Wonder Garden:

1. Talk about the various stories and characters: which ones do you relate to more than others? Do you find some (characters and stories) more likable and engaging or more off-putting than others?

2. What do these stories suggest about seemingly normal individuals who populate the suburbs? Do most of us harbor secrets or hidden pasts that seem unshakable? Are we all as flawed as Acampora's characters? Or are these peoples' disillusionment and inner struggles more deeply rooted than our own? Did you at some point wonder why these well-to-do people can't be happy? Why can't they?

3. Do you find any of these stories ironic? What about the irony, for instance, with John, whose work as a house inspector depends on his strict attention to detail? How does that professional skill translate to his personal life?

4. In what way does Acampora build a sense of community in Old Cranberry? Are you able to remember the characters who appear and reappear in the different stories? Is Old Cranberry a place you would like to live?

5. What is the author's take on American culture—consumerism, for instance?

6. If you're a devotee of the TV series Mad Men, or of John Cheever's stories, do you see any parallels to Acampora's stories?

(Questions by LitLovers. Please feel free to use them, online or off, with attribution. Thanks.)

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