When the Apricots Bloom

All the characters fear the government, including members of the mukhabarat. Based on the events in the novel, is a fear-based system of government an effective one? Analyze at least two examples from the text to support your position.

Nationalism takes on many forms in the novel, including the cleric’s theocratic view, Kareem’s democratic view, and Abdul Amir’s patriotic stance. Compare and contrast the views of these three characters’ perspectives. How does each man seek to idolize and improve Iraq? Use examples from the text to support your analysis.

Drawing upon at least one action from each of the three main characters (Huda, Rania, and Ally), analyze the various ways friendship proves to be a powerful form of resistance to cultural and systemic oppression.

How do Tom and Abdul Amir form opposite sides of the same trend of negligence in their marriages? How might they have behaved differently to support and provide for their wives?

Rania notes that the Department of Presidential Works is the only division of the Ministry of Culture left functioning after years under Saddam’s rule. What is the value of placing statues and portraits of the president around town and in people’s homes? How does Iraq’s history of cultural appreciation conflict with the dominance of works on a single subject, the president?

Khalid blames Huda for their family’s troubles, saying that she should have refused to help the mukhabarat. At the same time, Khalid is terrified at the idea of punishment for disobeying the mukhabarat. How can both stances be true at the same time? Using examples from the text, explain the paradoxical relationship that Iraqi informants have with the mukhabarat.

Although physical and sexual assault remain a constant threat throughout the novel, only a few minor instances of physical violence occur, and no instances of sexual assault occur. How does Gina Wilkinson create and maintain such a threatening tone without providing events that support it? Identify three to four examples in which Wilkinson’s narrative style implies violence without actually producing it.

In the Author’s Note, Wilkinson states that the novel is only based on her experiences in Iraq, and she insists that neither Ally nor Huda are based on herself or her informant friend. Why might Wilkinson have chosen to write the novel as historical fiction instead of autobiography, memoir, or even creative nonfiction? How might the exploration of fictional characters impact an author’s understanding of their own experience, and how does knowing about Wilkinson’s experiences impact a reader’s view of her characters?