A Novel Love Story

What is the symbolic significance of the song “Come On, Eileen”? Why does Elsy’s least favorite song play so many times throughout the novel?

What role do bookstores play in the novel? Compare and contrast Ineffable Books with The Grand Romantic. How do these two bookstores represent their owners?

How does the novel’s exploration of grief contribute to its overall tone? Why might Poston have addressed this topic in a romance novel?

Though Anders’s cat, Mr. Butterscotch, only appears in a few scenes, he is very important to Anders. What role does Mr. Butterscotch play in the novel? Does he influence the novel’s themes or Anders and Elsy’s relationship?

Analyze a minor character from the text such as Liam, Junie, or Ruby. What is their significance within A Novel Love Story, and how do they expand upon the novel’s themes or plot points?

Examine the role of irony in the text. How does it apply to the various layers of fiction and reality that Elsy and Anders must contend with in Eloraton and the real world?

A few characters from Poston’s novels The Dead Romantics and The Seven Year Slip are mentioned or have cameos within A Novel Love Story. Is there any significance to these inclusions? What does Poston’s novels taking place in the same universe say about A Novel Love Story and the characters within?

Poston uses many common tropes of contemporary romance novels. Do any of these tropes subvert the conventions of the romance genre? Analyze at least two or three examples from the text to support your opinion.