The metafictional interludes feature dialogues with the imaginary “Yurt Makers.” Examine their role as a narrative device. How do these satirical figures challenge the author-persona’s authority and complicate the novel’s argument about who has the right to tell Ukraine’s story?

Explore how the novel applies the biological concept of an “endling” to its human characters. Argue how Yeva, Pasha, and Iolanta each represent the last of a particular kind, whether in terms of ideology, cultural identity, or personal conviction.

Compare Maria Reva’s use of metafiction in Endling to that of another author who writes about the trauma of war, such as Kurt Vonnegut in Slaughterhouse-Five or Tim O’Brien in The Things They Carried. How do these authors use structural disruption and authorial intrusion to convey the difficulties of representing catastrophic events?

How does the contrast between the calculated activism of Nastia and Iolanta and the spontaneous resistance of Pasha reveal the novel’s argument about the efficacy and morality of protest in wartime?

The novel’s epilogue presents Pasha’s new identity as the artist “Pavlo.” Analyze his final interview, focusing on his confrontational tone and his paintings of the Antonivs’kyi Bridge. Does this conclusion suggest a successful reclamation of identity or a permanent state of alienation?

Analyze the recurring character of the grandfather and his motivations for remaining in Ukraine. How does this character allow the author to explore her own feelings of futility and the differing perspectives of those remaining in Ukraine? What is the thematic purpose of his final scene?

How does Endling critique various forms of Western masculinity through the characters of Bertrand, Pasha, and the collective bachelors?

Analyze Lefty’s rescue from a burning tree and his detailed mating scene. What do these moments represent, and how does it extend to Reva’s broader depiction of the conflict in Ukraine?