59 pages • 1-hour read
The German Wife
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Book Club Questions
General Impressions
Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.
1. Discuss your initial reactions to The German Wife.
2. Compare this novel to other books about World War II in Germany, like Elie Wiesel’s Night or Bernhard Schlink’s The Reader.
Personal Reflection and Connection
Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.
1. WWII is generally discussed from the perspective of soldiers, political figures, or victims, while The German Wife focuses instead on normal people pulled into extraordinary circumstances. How did you relate to the main characters?
2. Discuss the multi-generational families in The German Wife, especially considering the non-traditional relationships between Mayim and the Rhodes family, Adele’s relationship to Jürgen, and Lizzie’s and Henry’s adult relationships.
3. Rimmer regularly focuses on the experience of women in historical events, and The German Wife is no exception. How did you respond to her treatment of Lizzie and Sofie and the other women in the novel?
4. Jürgen and Calvin are both generally portrayed as supportive and kind husbands to their wives; however, they aren’t perfect. Discuss some of the more problematic interactions within the book’s marriages.
5. The primary vehicle for Nazi propaganda in the book is through school. How did you feel about the use of school to spread propaganda? Does that picture resonate with any of your experiences?
Societal and Cultural Context
Examine the book’s relevance to societal issues, historical events, or cultural themes.
1. Before reading The German Wife, what were your thoughts and feelings regarding the role of the US in Nazi Germany, specifically the recruitment of German scientists? How did this book affect your perspective?
2. What similarities do you see between the events in the novel and the society we now live in?
Literary Analysis
Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and symbolism.
1. Discuss the split point of view and shifting time in the narrative.
2. Explore the complex relationships between women in the novel. Especially consider the different characterizations of Adele, Lizzie’s mother, Claudia, and other secondary women characters.
3. How did Rimmer’s choice to set the novel in four different geographic locations affect your experience of the book?
4. Discuss the moral problems and ambiguities thematically explored in the novel.
Creative Engagement
Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.
1. Tell a part of the story from the first-person perspective of a secondary character like Mayim, Laura, Adele, Claudia, or one of the detectives.
2. Which character would you most like to take to lunch? What would you talk about if you had the opportunity?
3. If you were casting the movie version of The German Wife, who would you cast in the major roles, and why?
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