A Short Stay in Hell

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. After reading A Short Stay for the first time, how would you describe its genre to someone who has never read it? Is it horror, fantasy, magical realism, or something else?

2. Have you read “The Library of Babel” by Jorge Luis Borges? If so, how would you compare the novella to the short story? If not, are you inspired to read “The Library of Babel” in the future?

3. Do you think that A Short Stay in Hell is itself the book that will free Soren from Hell? How did you understand the metatextual aspects of the novella’s structure?

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

1. Soren is confronted with the revelation that his lifelong religious beliefs are false. Do you have strong beliefs about the afterlife or other metaphysical/existential questions? How do you think you would feel if you discovered them to be incorrect?

2. Peck treats interfaith encounters as essential to human connection and society. How have you interacted with others’ belief systems throughout your life, and how have those interactions enriched your understanding of the world?

3. Have you ever undertaken an endeavor that you thought might never end? Discuss your own experiences with discouragement, hope, and perseverance.

4. Food delivered by the kiosks serves as an essential opportunity for Soren and other characters to remember and connect with home. When you are away from home, what things do you miss the most, and what things bring you comfort?

Examine the book’s relevance to societal issues, historical events, or cultural themes.

1. A Short Stay champions racial diversity by presenting its absence as a defining characteristic of Hell. How does this commentary relate to present-day political debates surrounding ideals of diversity, equity, and inclusion?

2. The novella depicts the dangers of religious extremism and intolerance through its portrayal of the Direites. What real-world groups do Dire Dan and his followers resemble?

Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and symbolism.

1. How would you describe the tone of A Short Stay? Were there moments where this tone seemed at odds with the content of the story? How might the tone reveal the emotional and psychological state of characters as they navigate Hell?

2. A Short Stay has an unresolved ending, with Soren still searching for his book. Why do you think the novella ends where it does? How does the ending speak to the work’s overall themes?

3. Hell narratives are a longstanding literary tradition, from Dante’s Inferno to No Exit by Jean-Paul Sartre. How does Peck respond to and build upon this tradition in A Short Stay? How does his vision of Hell correspond to his particular cultural and historical context?

4. A Short Stay’s narrative spans billions of years but unfolds in roughly 100 pages. How did you respond to this discrepancy between the length of the book and the length of the narrative? What point do you think Peck is making?

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. Draw a map of Soren’s Hell as you imagine it based on descriptions in the book. Which passages contributed to this mental image?

2. Use a random text string generator for 10 minutes and see if you can generate a coherent word or string of words. If successful, how many times did you have to regenerate your text string before you found a word? How did the experience of looking at randomly generated text for 10 minutes make you feel, and did the experience impact your understanding of the book in any way?