The Hundred Secret Senses

Consider the novel through a feminist lens: How do women in both timelines navigate systems of power, expectation, and survival? What parallels emerge between Miss Banner’s limitations and Olivia’s?

In what ways does the novel complicate the idea of belonging? Examine how characters such as Olivia, Kwan, and Yiban experience fractured or multiple identities, and how these experiences shape their choices.

How does the novel portray grief as a shaping force? Compare Simon’s grief for Elza with the ancestral grief Kwan carries or the grief Olivia feels for Kwan. How do these forms of sorrow echo shape the narrative and themes of the novel?

Analyze the symbolism of the owl’s release. What emotional or spiritual transformations are tied to this moment, and how does the owl function as a threshold symbol?

How is the Taiping Rebellion used to frame the novel’s exploration of loyalty, betrayal, and sacrifice? Does understanding the historical context change your interpretation of Kwan’s past-life narrative?

How does Olivia’s relationship with Simon serve as a building block of her identity? How does she learn to expand her self-definition beyond this relationship?

In what ways does the novel challenge rationalist ideas about the relationship between reality and imagination? Where does Tan blur the line between the two, and to what effect?

Discuss the role of guilt in the novel. How does guilt—acknowledged or suppressed—shape the actions of Olivia, Kwan, and Simon?