Exhalation

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. What draws you to Chiang’s particular brand of science fiction in this collection? How does Exhalation compare to his earlier work Stories of Your Life and Others, or to other science fiction that blends philosophical depth with technological speculation?

2. Which story left the strongest impression on you, and what specific elements made it memorable?

3. Intimate personal relationships and vast cosmic concepts both appear throughout this collection. Does Chiang succeed in making both scales feel equally important?

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

1. Ana’s 20-year commitment to raising Jax mirrors the dedication required in human parenting. How does her journey challenge or reinforce your understanding of what it means to nurture another being?

2. Have you ever discovered that your memory of an important event was significantly different from what actually happened? The narrator’s experience with Remem in “The Truth of Fact, the Truth of Feeling” reveals how unreliable our recollections can be.

3. In “What’s Expected of Us,” people fall into waking comas after learning they lack free will. Would knowing definitively whether you have free will change how you approach daily decisions and long-term goals?

4. Dorothea’s crisis of faith leads her to conclude that humans can create meaning for their own lives. When faced with uncertainty about life’s bigger questions, how do you find or create your own sense of purpose?

5. Several characters throughout the collection struggle with forgiveness and redemption. Which character’s journey toward making amends resonates most deeply with your own experiences of seeking or granting forgiveness?

6. Technology in these stories often forces characters to confront uncomfortable truths about themselves. Are you comfortable with the idea of technology that could reveal aspects of yourself you might prefer not to know?

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

1. The parrot in “The Great Silence” questions why humans search for extraterrestrial life while ignoring intelligent species already on Earth. What does this perspective suggest about humanity’s current approach to conservation, and how does this ecological critique compare to environmental themes in works like Frank Herbert’s Dune?

2. Multiple stories feature corporations exploiting new technologies for profit, often harming vulnerable individuals. How do these fictional scenarios reflect contemporary concerns about tech companies and their responsibilities to users?

3. Chiang presents futures where technology fundamentally alters human cognition and behavior. Which technological development in the collection feels most plausible given current trends, and what ethical safeguards might society need?

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

1. Frame narratives appear throughout the collection, most notably in “The Merchant and the Alchemist’s Gate.” What effect does hearing stories within stories have on your understanding of their deeper meanings?

2. Breathing and exhalation serve as recurring motifs across multiple stories. How does this imagery connect to the collection’s exploration of mortality and the passage of time?

3. Chiang frequently employs non-human narrators, from mechanical beings to parrots. What perspectives do these voices provide that human narrators might not offer?

4. Many stories adopt the format of formal documents like museum catalogs, warnings, and prayers. How do these structural choices enhance each story’s thematic content?

5. Time operates on vastly different scales across the collection, from the instantaneous effects of Predictors to the 20-year span of “The Lifecycle of Software Objects.” Why does Chiang vary temporal scope so dramatically?

6. Characters like Fuwaad, the journalist, and Nat all undergo significant personal growth through their encounters with technology. What common patterns emerge in how these transformative experiences unfold?

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. Imagine designing your own version of the Gate of Years from “The Merchant and the Alchemist’s Gate.” What specific historical period would you want it to access, and what safeguards would you build into its operation?

2. If you were responsible for creating a digient like Jax, what personality traits and learning capabilities would you prioritize? Describe the ideal educational environment you would design for its development.

3. Nat’s anonymous gift of closure to Dana concludes the collection. Design a scenario where you could provide similar healing or resolution to someone from your past without revealing yourself as the source.

Need more conversation starters? Inspire your group with our Discussion Questions tool.