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

1. How did you respond to the revelation that Hana and Haruto were betrothed? How did this plot twist upset your understanding of Hana’s fate and her relationship with Keishin?

2. Some of the characters see choice as a luxury, while others see choice as a burden. Which characters’ points of view do you identify with most strongly? How has freedom of choice made you feel liberated and/or entrapped?

3. Keishin is a scientist and relies on his field to give his life meaning. How does Keishin’s experience relate to your own field of study or vocational aspirations? Is Keishin’s passion limiting or freeing? Which is yours?

4. Hana and Keishin are from two contrasting societies. Which society do you relate to more, and why? Discuss the pros and cons of each world. Which world would you rather live in, and why?

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

1. The novel subtextually explores notions of power and control. Discuss the allegorical possibilities of Hana’s world and the role of the Shiikuin in maintaining its function. How do the Shiikuin wield power, and how does this system parallel contemporary political systems?

2. The novel is set in Tokyo, Japan, where Hana doesn’t have the freedom to make her own choices about her future. How does Hana’s experience relate to gender politics in contemporary Japan and in contemporary global society? Considering Water Moon through a feminist lens, what commentary is Yambao making about women’s rights?

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

1. The novel is organized into four sections, which begin at the pawnshop in Hana’s world and end at the airport in Keishin’s world. What is the narrative and thematic relevance of this overarching structure? How would the novel’s atmosphere, trajectory, and explorations change if Yambao had organized Water Moon differently?

2. Compare and contrast Hana’s and Keishin’s characters. What makes each of them relatable, believable, and/or sympathetic? Consider how their contrasting backgrounds relate to their self-presentations.

3. How do the novel’s micro and macro settings dictate the narrative’s atmosphere? Consider how the characters respond when they’re at the pawnshop, the Night Market, the Sea Sky, the Tokyo Station, or the ramen shop.

4. Analyze the symbolic significance of the Shiikuin and the dead children. How do these characters create conflict throughout the novel? How would Hana and Keishin’s journey differ if the Shiikuin and children didn’t exist?

5. Hana feels trapped between her duty to her family and her desire to explore. Analyze how this internal conflict both motivates and immobilizes Hana throughout the novel.