The Pull of the Stars

Content Warning: This section of the guide contains discussion of illness or death and child abuse.

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. Donoghue sets The Pull of the Stars during just three intense days in a makeshift maternity ward. How did this compressed timeline affect your experience of the story? Did you find yourself wanting to know more about the characters’ lives before or after these three days?

2. What aspects of the novel resonated most strongly with you in light of the recent pandemic? How does Donoghue’s portrayal of the 1918 influenza pandemic compare to other pandemic narratives like Albert Camus’s The Plague?

3. Julia’s private ritual of marking deaths with scratches on the back of her watch offers a glimpse into how she processes grief. What did this practice reveal about healthcare workers’ need to memorialize those lost in their care?

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

1. Julia ultimately decides to adopt Barnabas despite societal judgment. Have you ever made a decision that went against social expectations because you felt it was the right thing to do?

2. The characters in the novel must maintain composure while working through crisis. What strategies do you use to remain calm when facing difficult circumstances in your own life?

3. Throughout the novel, Julia questions whether she wants marriage and children, contrary to the social norms of her time. Have you ever felt pressure to follow a traditional path that didn’t align with your own desires?

4. Bridie’s stories about orphanages reveal institutional cruelty toward vulnerable children. When have you witnessed systems that failed to protect those they were meant to serve?

5. What surprised you most about Bridie’s revelations regarding her childhood in the orphanage? How did these revelations change your perception of her character?

6. Julia judges Groyne based on his outward behavior until she learns about his personal losses. When has someone in your life revealed hidden depths that changed how you perceived them?

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

1. How does the novel’s depiction of class hierarchy in 1918 Dublin parallel modern healthcare inequalities? What similarities do you see between how influenza impacted different social classes and our experiences with recent public health crises?

2. Dr. Lynn believes that Irish independence is necessary to address the root causes of poor healthcare outcomes. What responsibilities do healthcare workers have in addressing the political and social determinants of health, beyond treating individual patients?

3. The novel portrays the harsh treatment of unwed mothers in early-20th-century Ireland. In what ways has society’s treatment of single mothers evolved, and what vestiges of these attitudes might still exist today?

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

1. Why did Donoghue choose to divide the novel into four parts named after colors—Red, Brown, Blue, and Black? How does this structure reflect the progression of both the disease and the narrative?

2. The novel unfolds entirely through Julia’s first-person perspective. What aspects of her character shape how we understand the events and other characters in the story?

3. What significance does the “bone man” as a personification of death hold in the story? How does this folkloric figure compare to other literary representations of death, such as in Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series?

4. Bridie functions as both a catalyst for Julia’s growth and a symbol of institutional abuse in Ireland. How does her presence transform Julia’s understanding of Irish society?

5. Characters from different backgrounds interact within the confined hospital setting in ways they normally wouldn’t in society. How does this setting function as a microcosm of larger Irish society in 1918?

6. Stars are a recurring motif throughout the novel. What do they symbolize for different characters, and how does this connect to the novel’s title?

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. Imagine that Julia writes a letter to Bridie one year after the events of the novel. What would she say about raising Barnabas and how her life has changed?

2. The novel ends with Julia taking Barnabas home. Create an alternative ending in which Honor White survives. How would this change the story’s conclusion and overall message?

3. If you were adapting this novel into a film, which scenes would you highlight as most essential? Which actors might you cast in the main roles, and why?

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