How does A Better Life use images of male physicality, including images of male genitalia, castration, and sex, to express Nico’s conflicted feelings around his own and others’ masculinity?

Analyze how the Ditmas Park house’s physical state mirrors the psychological and moral disintegration of its inhabitants. In what ways is this influenced by Gothic tropes?

This guide identifies Contested Approaches to Masculinity as a Source of Conflict as a key theme. How does Shriver present concepts of femininity, and how do these support the novel’s satirical purpose?

In what ways does A Better Life use intergenerational conflict as a means to further its action, emotional dynamics, and narrative arc?

The narrative withholds objective proof of Martine’s guilt, leaving the final interpretation to what Nico calls “a taste thing, a temperament thing, an outlook thing” (287). Do you feel that the novel has any clear moral villains or heroes? Make your argument by drawing on examples from the text.

Analyze the role of New York City as a semi-fictional setting. How does Shriver combine reality and fiction, and how does this reveal authorial intent and purpose?

A Better Life combines humor with dark, dystopian elements. Explain whether the novel’s tone seemed more positive or negative during your reading experience, analyzing textual examples.

Trace the use of physical markings in the novel. How do these bodily signifiers function within the novel’s social commentary and dramatic structure?