Fight Night

Why does Swiv frame the story as a letter to her father? What impact does his absence have on her? What impact does it have on Mom? How would the story change if it were narrated traditionally, without the letter?

How does Mom’s pregnancy impact the events of the novel? Why does she continue to rehearse a play in which she almost certainly will not appear?

How does Grandma’s presence impact the family dynamic? Does she need Swiv, or does Swiv need her? How does her presence affect Mom? What do these intergenerational dynamics say about hierarchical/nuclear family structures in contrast with nonhierarchical multigenerational households?

Read another of Miriam Toews’s books and explore how similar themes are explored between Fight Night and that text. You could choose to focus on topics like religious oppression, female solidarity, or mental health/suicide.

Why does Swiv need to be “King of the Castle”? Why does she take offense when Mom suggests that she is just “playing”? How does the novel explore gender through Swiv’s relationship to this masculinized phrase?

How does the use of language impact the story? What do Grandma’s “secret language” and Swiv’s italicized phrases have in common? Does language facilitate or hinder communication?

What does the character of Jay Gatsby represent? Why does he want to buy the family home?

The novel contains numerous references to literature, poetry, and philosophy, from the Jay Gatsby mentioned above to Marcus Aurelius and others. How does this impact Swiv’s understanding of her situation? How does this impact the reader’s understanding of the novel? Why does the author employ these references?