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 The Prosperous Thief:
1. Heini does what he must to survive. Under such duress, how forgivable is his crime? Does the fact that he loves his wife and children—and saves them—absolve him of guilt? Is he a bad person?
2. Andrea Goldsmith has said in an interview that she sees Alice as the "fulcrum of the novel." In other words, the novel revolves around her character. Do you agree? If so, in what ways. Or do see another character as the fulcrum?
3. Goldsmith has also said that Heini is not the only thief in the novel. She points to Raphe, who appropriates his grandfather's life to fill the gaps in his own life. She also mentions Nell, a film maker, as a very modern "opportunistic thief." Do you agree with her assessments.
4. What do you make of Raphe's fascination with volcanoes? Metaphorically, volcanoes possess dangerous, undpredictable undercurrents, like like itself.
5. Talk about the irony of Laura's politics, championing the cause of oppressed people. Do her actions atone for her father's crimes—even without her full knowledge of what his sins were? Should Laura ever be told the truth? What do you make of Laura's brother, Daniel?
6. The Prosperous Thief contemplates philosophical yet deeply personal issues—all of which can make for excellent discussions: does the long arm of guilt extend from one generation to another? Is the modern concept of victimhood justified? Does the pursuit of revenge yield justice? How does the novel present those ideas—and how do you respond to them?
7. Some believe the novel falls a little flat when moving to modern times; in particular, the characters seem less well-developed or convincing. Do you agree or disagree?
8. Would you say the ending is happy or tragic? For whom?
(Questions by LitLovers. Please feel free to use them, online or off, with attribution. Thanks.)
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