Book Club Discussions
The way that Zophia mixes religious beliefs is likened to the way she changes hats: picking the one that suits her best. Zophia believes in God; Dewalt is sure of it. He doesn’t however know which God. Would you say that Zophia is religious or spiritual?
With the exception of Mo’s daughter Zainab (who is digging his grave with a shovel of kindness), most of the traditional cross-generational families in the story are mildly dysfunctional e.g., Yost has uninterested sons, the alliance between Grace and Britney is at Carol’s expense. How are families portrayed in the story? Is Irish truly blessed with three families when he includes his friends? Can one man, two women, and a monkey be a family?
Both Irish and Kiki have taken on aliases. Lu is still the doctor’s wife as Mrs. Horatio Wu. Violet doesn’t have a family name. Zophia won’t take on another husband’s name. How do our names represent us, our roles, and how we want the world to see us?
Zophia’s search for an heir leaves her empty. We learn that Violet’s son is missing, Lu’s son is at the other end of the world, Kiki’s daughter is dead, and Bella’s godson is muscling her out of her home. With the exception of Carol’s mom, none of the older ladies have children to hold their hands when they pass out of this world. Would you say it was life’s circumstances or their lifestyle choices (or a combination) that left them empty handed in the end? How did you react to the news that Kiki’s granddaughter is pregnant by the end of the book while in the beginning we learned she was prepared to discard her marriage?
Though they are at the stage in their lives when their bodies are starting to betray them, Zophia and her friends enjoy active sex lives and for the most part are comfortable with their sexual selves. How can you explain the laissez faire attitude? Do you share Dr. Bad’s concern about the way that some seniors are putting themselves at risk? Is sex in senior years something to look forward to or dread?
What would you love doing to death?
In the Babylon Towers community there doesn’t seem to be any crabby old men. Or is it simply that Zophia doesn’t collect Crabby Old Men? The men in her circle are in fact former lovers or former “potential” lovers. Why does she keep them hanging on?
Zophia thinks that Violet would call her “dependable” if Violet gave her eulogy. She doubts that the mourners in attendance would agree. Is Zophia dependable?
What could Lu do? What would you have done with the video?
Rita McSorely, friend or foe? Why does Zophia react to Rita the way that she does when Rita is a character who slips through the story without a voice? Why do you think she hasn’t been given her own voice? What do you think of Rita’s post-mortem relationship with Kermit? What about her act of kindness with the quarters?
Why is Zophia afraid to let people see her cry?
Carol feels she is abandoning Grace in the Old and Forgotten Club by trying to secure a place for her mom at Bison Lodge. How does your community, culture, or family address the long-term care needs of its elderly members? Where do you want to go?
As an immigrant Zophia has interesting perspectives on assimilation and diversity. She has definite opinions about the role of First Nations members yet she knows only three Aboriginals: Irish who grew up Jewish, Carol who grew up Catholic, and Grace who is sampling different religions “hedging her bets” as her daughter says, before she dies. Why is Zophia so intent on knowing where Dead Indians go?
As Dewalt bumbles along impersonating popular Canadians to help ease the passages, are the appearances engaging or distracting for the reader? Which Canadian celebrity would you never set a plate at your table for?
Carol’s undoing comes after her daughter’s beating. Was it simply a matter of time before she snapped? How would you have liked her story to unfold? Giving that more Canadians will be primary caregivers in the years to come, what advice would you offer children like Carol to help them stick it out? Should she stick it out?
What are the parallels between Harry’s job as the civil servant tasked with relocating the seniors to Canola Fields and Dewalt’s job as the Cultural Attaché for the Hereafter?
Why won’t Zophia marry Mo?
Kiki thinks Zophia loves unconditionally, on the condition that everyone plays by her rules. Describe something that you do unconditionally and what your rules are.
Covering ones head in religious observance, in the case of Kiki’s tackle-encrusted snud and Mo’s granddaughter’s hijab, or to belong to a collective such as the gang members sporting red bandanas, is a theme that reoccurs through the story. A head covering is a visual announcement that the owner belongs to something bigger, something communal. For a Practicing Hedonist who can’t quite make it in with the In Crowd, how does Kermit cope with his alienation?
Zophia has asked her friends to add to the Things Zophia Taught Me list stuck to her refrigerator. What would your family and friends put on your list? What would you put on Zophia’s?
Who would you invite to your Last Supper? What would you serve?
Do you believe in Positive Voodoo?
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