What does it mean to be a Palestinian who has never lived in Palestine? Analyze the way characters from two or three different generations understand their Palestinian identity. What does the novel suggest about the source and nature of ethnic and cultural identity?

Discuss Atef’s relationship with Mustafa. What does Mustafa come to represent for Atef? What does he represent to his other family members, including those who never met him?

In what ways does watching media coverage of distant events connect characters across the diaspora, and in what ways does it reinforce their separation? What impact does the constant presence of media coverage of war and conflict have on the family, in terms of The Psychological Impact of War and Trauma?

Discuss Manar’s characterization. How does her trip back to Palestine speak to the novel’s themes and main ideas? How might her character speak to the author’s own experiences?

Discuss the role of religion in the novel. Why do so many of the characters drift away from Islam? What is different for Salma and Riham that they remain so connected to their Muslim faith? Given the variety of relationships to religion among the characters, what is the novel’s stance on the role of religion in culture and identity?

Alyan centers her novel on the importance of family bonds in a family that often experiences tension and conflict. What does the fact that the Yacoubs are often at odds with each other suggest about the nature and importance of family?

Pick one event or incident from the novel and compare the way it is portrayed by two or three different narrators. What do the differences in their emphases, opinions, and feelings reveal about memory, identity, and history?

Atef’s letters provide healing for both Atef and his grandchildren, offering an outlet for Atef to process his trauma and his grandchildren a window into their ancestors’ experiences. What other ways of healing do the characters undertake, individually or collectively? What do these other methods of healing suggest about the nature of trauma and diaspora?