Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. The novel opens with a radio broadcast that immediately establishes the story’s grim reality. What expectations did this opening set for you? In what ways did the rest of the novel either meet or subvert those initial expectations?

2. How did this book’s focus on the post-liberation persecution of queer survivors change your understanding of that historical period, especially when compared to other Holocaust literature like Anne Frank’s The Diary of a Young Girl (1947)?

3. Which scene, character, or historical detail from the novel do you think will stay with you the longest, and why?

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

1. Which of the main trio’s coping mechanisms did you find most relatable: Bertie’s guilt-driven planning, Sofie’s pragmatic caregiving, or Karl’s cynical resilience?

2. Bertie, Sofie, and Karl form a new family out of shared trauma and necessity. Think about the concept of “chosen family” in your own life or community. What makes these bonds so powerful?

3. To protect his new family, Bertie burns his photo album, a painful erasure of his past. Think about a time you had to let go of something meaningful from your past to move forward. What did that experience teach you about the relationship between memory and preservation?

4. The story is filled with small acts of defiance and connection, like Sofie teaching Karl to play piano on the floorboards. When facing difficult situations, where do you find sources of hope or resilience in your own life?

5. A central tension in the novel is the need to “transvest,” or perform a version of oneself, for safety. When have you felt the need to perform a role or hide a part of your identity to fit in or feel secure?

6. What does “home” mean to you? How does the novel’s depiction of displacement, refuge, and the struggle to build a new life challenge or affirm your own ideas about it?

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

1. Dr. Hirschfeld suggests that the persecution of queer people is a canary in the coal mine for a society turning toxic. Where do you see this dynamic playing out today? Which marginalized groups’ safety do you see as a barometer for the health of a society?

2. How did this book’s depiction of the Allied forces, who continued to enforce Paragraph 175 and recruited former Nazis, complicate your view of the “liberators” and the end of WWII?

3. Karl’s final declaration is that “The history is us […] [a]nd we’ll keep passing it on.” (289) Why is it so important for marginalized communities to preserve and share their own histories, especially when those histories have been actively erased by dominant cultures?

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

1. How did the narrative structure, alternating between the vivid 1930s and the bleakness of 1945, affect your reading experience? What did this constant juxtaposition reveal about the characters’ trauma and resilience?

2. What does the novel gain by refusing to give Bertie or the reader a definitive account of what happened to Gert? 

3. Karl frequently challenges the explanations Bertie creates for his own survival, particularly Bertie’s belief that surviving leaves him with a debt he must somehow repay. Does the novel ultimately favor either character’s interpretation, or does it leave the disagreement unresolved?

4. Lieutenant Ward believes he is identifying Nazis and protecting the occupation from people concealing their identities, while Bertie experiences the same investigation as a threat to innocent people. How does giving Ward a goal that is not inherently unreasonable complicate his role as the novel’s antagonist? 

5. How does the revelation that Frau Ber is not just nosy or dangerous ask readers to reflect on their earlier judgment of her? What does her storyline suggest about the limitations of judging secondary characters solely through Bertie’s perspective?

6. How does this novel’s treatment of gender as a performance for survival compare to other literary works you’ve read that explore similar ideas, such as Virginia Woolf’s Orlando (1928)?

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. If you were to create a memorial for the characters and the community lost in the novel, what form would it take? What symbols or elements from the book would you include to capture their spirit and history?

2. The novel closes as the new Bauman family begins a life in America. Imagine them ten years later. What do you think their lives are like, and in what ways do they continue to “pass on” their history?

3. If you were directing the scene at Ellis Island for a film, how would you stage the performance of “Das Lila Lied” to convey the tension, the characters’ hidden emotions, and the immigration agent’s reaction?