The True True Story of Raja the Gullible (and His Mother)

Pick one of the historical events the novel depicts and research it. How does the author’s depiction of its impact on Raja and his family dovetail with the historical record?

Analyze the novel’s shifting timelines. How does this narrative structure explore the impact of the past on the present?

Discuss Madame Taweel’s character. How is she characterized? What is her wider role and significance in the text?

Examine the novel’s portrayal of sexuality. How do different characters experience, or wrestle with, their sexual identity and sexual desire? How does sexuality shape the characters’ lives?

Raja often struggles with his identity as a Lebanese man, feeling both attached to his country and yet aggrieved by its corruption. How does the novel interrogate the links between individual and national identity?

How do Raja’s family relationships change—or fail to change—over time? What does the novel suggest about both the strengths and limitations of the family unit?

How does the novel interrogate gender roles and gender dynamics in the portrait of its female characters? How do Zalfa, Madame Taweel, and/or Nahed conform to, or defy, expectations for Lebanese women?

Analyze Raja’s narrative voice and self-presentation. What literary and narrative techniques does he use in telling his story? What does his narration reveal, directly or indirectly, about key aspects of his characterization?