Perfect Peace

What role does the church congregation play in the community, and what larger philosophical point does the author make about the linked roles of religion and community?

The Jordan River recurs frequently as a setting and plays an important role in the subtext of the novel. What purpose do you believe the Jordan River serves? How is that purpose seen within the text?

Compare and contrast Paul and Mister. How does each character embody a different aspect of sexuality, and how does the author use both characters to challenge common preconceptions about The Fluidity of Gender and Sexuality?

Analyze Authorly’s polyamorous relationship. How does this aspect of the novel add nuance to the author’s broader discussion about challenging expected gender roles?

Emma Jean is an extremely complex character who functions as the main antagonist of the novel. Does her abusive upbringing and later decline in mental health mitigate her mistakes? Does the narrative implicitly condemn her or forgive her for her choice to raise her son as a girl? Cite at least three examples from the text to support your interpretation.

Sol becomes the only Peace child to attend university and get his degree. However, he faces many challenges to achieve this goal. In what ways does Sol’s journey explore the wider issues of racism during this time frame? What does Sol’s journey imply about the struggles faced by the Black community during the mid-1900s?

At the end of the novel, Paul lays the doll, Olivia, on a pile of rubbish to be burned. What does this moment symbolize?

Perfect Peace is written from a third-person omniscient point of view that allows access to each character’s thoughts, feelings, and motives. How would the story change if it were told only from one perspective?