Heaven: A Novel

The narrator and Kojima have difficult family lives. Analyze how their relationships with their parents impact their self-perceptions and philosophies.

Kawakami’s novel comments on the widespread problem of bullying in schools. Discuss its approach to the problem in comparison with another novel that also discusses bullying. What does Kawakami do differently in her novel?

Discuss the symbolism of the narrator’s eyesight and what it represents in the context of the novel.

Kojima tells the narrator that many of their classmates just follow along with the popular students rather than deciding on the course of their own actions. Explain her ideas regarding self-determination, and compare and contrast them with Momose’s.

Do you agree with Kojima’s assessment that the narrator’s lazy eye is a fundamental aspect of his identity? Is he betraying himself by choosing to pursue corrective surgery? Write an essay that explains why or why not.

Ninomiya and Momose are two of the classmates who bully the narrator. What qualities make them different from each other? According to the novel’s philosophical stance, does this make them more or less culpable for their actions? Explain your answer.

The narrator’s doctor tells him that change is inevitable. Discuss how and why the narrator changes through the novel.

Heaven is narrated in the first-person point of view. What are this narrative mode’s strengths for telling this particular story? What are its weaknesses?