If you have read it, how does Travis’s narration compare to the personification of Death in other books, such as Markus Zusak’s The Book Thief (2005)?

How does Reeves use Travis’s non-human point of view to explore human emotions, and where are the limitations of this perspective most apparent?

What is the cumulative effect of interrupting the main narrative with fable-like vignettes such as the story of the doe and fawn or the mayflies?

What does Travis’s inconsistent compassion toward different dying characters, such as Barry Lightfoot and John Lamb, suggest about the novel’s definition of a worthy life? What does it reflect about Travis and about common reactions to grief?

How does the novel reconcile Dalia’s contradictory roles of life-giver and mourner struggling with mental illness as she navigates her grief?

To what extent does Dalia’s journey of repeated isolation ultimately support or complicate the idea that community is necessary for overcoming grief?

What narrative purpose is served by revealing the outcome of Dalia’s struggle through the “A Very Old Woman” flash-forwards?

How does the contrast between Travis’s photograph restoration and Layla’s photography explore different ways of engaging with memory and time?