Book Club Questions about Why a War Hero Would Leave the Fish Pan in the Sink

Does Grampa Olver or Michael fit your image of a war hero?

Were Mikey and Bon married?

Does this book have an antagonist?

Are the male or female characters more fully developed or appealing?

How often did you look at Mi Chau’s explanations of poems as you read the book?

Did the poems add to or detract from the story?

Was Bon’s word “whores” or Burr’s racist attack near the opening too gritty for this discussion group?

Have you ever spent any time with a new immigrant who barely speaks English?

Was Emmaline’s conversion of Mi Chau from Vietnamese child to educated American credible?

Have you known anyone whose trauma affected them for decades?

Do you think Ezra knows what he’s getting into, choosing Mi as his life partner? Does Mi?