This novel explores notions of fate and self-determination as characters work to overcome their pasts and secure better futures. While the primary conflict is set off by a bureaucratic error, Kathy, Lester, and Behrani escalate it through their own actions. Does fate compel the characters to escalate the conflict, or do their decisions lead to their tragic ends? More broadly, does the novel express a strong belief in either destiny or self-determination, or does it leave room for a balance? If so, where does that balance exist?

Why does Dubus decide not to share Lester’s first-person perspective? Is Lester’s perspective less central to the narrative, or does Dubus elevate his perspective by distinguishing it from those of the other two main characters?

Behrani is painfully aware of his position in America, where he feels alienated. Kathy, on the other hand, is characterized by her lack of global knowledge, but she possesses a much more granular knowledge of America. What does the novel suggest about the multifaceted nature of American identity? Assuming neither of these characters’ understandings of America is wholly “correct,” can their understandings be meaningfully reconciled? If so, how?