The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. What was your initial emotional reaction to the concept of being a kalachakra? Did the idea of reliving one’s life seem more like a gift or a curse as Harry’s story unfolded?

2. The premise of reliving one’s life is a classic in speculative fiction. How does The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August distinguish its take on this idea from other works you might know, such as Ken Grimwood’s Replay or Kate Atkinson’s Life After Life?

3. This novel blends science fiction, espionage, and philosophical inquiry. Which of these genre elements did you find most engaging, and how did their combination affect the book’s overall pacing and tone?

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

1. Harry identifies three stages for kalachakras: rejection, exploration, and acceptance. Thinking about major changes or challenges in your own life, does this progression resonate with you?

2. The Forgetting is presented as a “true death” for a kalachakra, but Akinleye chooses it as a release from trauma. What are your thoughts on her decision? Do you see the ability to forget as a necessary human comfort?

3. What did you think of the Cronus Club’s primary rule against historical interference? Do you believe their philosophy of inaction is a responsible one?

4. What significance does Harry’s eventual choice to embrace Patrick August as his true father hold? What makes someone a parent, in your opinion?

5. Would you want to be a mnemonic with perfect recall like Harry and Vincent? What do you think would be the greatest benefits and the most profound drawbacks of remembering every moment of every life?

6. Harry’s confession of his true nature to his wife Jenny leads to his hospitalization. Do you think there are limits to love and understanding when faced with fundamentally different life experiences?

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

1. Vincent’s ambition to accelerate technological progress leads to global instability and an accelerated apocalypse. What commentary does the novel offer on modern society’s relentless pursuit of “progress” and innovation?

2. How does the novel use real 20th-century history, like World War II and the Cold War, as a backdrop for its speculative plot? What parallels exist between the plot and its setting>

3. What does the existence of the Cronus Club, a secret society with immense wealth and foreknowledge, suggest about power and hidden influence in the real world? Does the Club’s collapse feel like a warning or a hopeful outcome?

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

1. What is the effect of the novel’s nonlinear narrative structure? How does jumping between Harry’s various lives help develop the central themes of memory, identity, and the weight of the past?

2. In what ways do Harry and Vincent serve as foils for one another? Since both are mnemonics with perfect recall, what does their divergent moral development say about choice versus nature?

4. What role does the institution of St Margot’s Asylum play throughout the narrative? How does it evolve from a place of personal trauma for Harry into a broader symbol of how society treats those it cannot understand?

5. The guide connects Harry’s journey to Albert Camus’s interpretation of the Sisyphus myth. Do you see Harry as an “absurd hero” who finds meaning in his endless, repetitive struggle, or does his story suggest a different conclusion about finding purpose?

6. Deception and disguise are recurring motifs, from Harry’s aliases to Vincent’s assumed identities. How does the novel use these elements to explore the fluid and performative nature of identity?

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. Imagine you were a kalachakra living through the 20th century. Which historical event would you be most tempted to interfere with, despite the Cronus Club’s rules, and what do you think the consequences might be?

2. The novel concludes with Harry’s letter detailing his plan to erase Vincent from the timeline. If you were to write a short epilogue for the book, what would Harry’s 16th life look like in a world where Vincent never existed?

3. If you could send a message back through the generations of the Cronus Club, just as the message about the world’s end was sent to Harry, what warning or piece of advice would you give them?