WellRead's November 2024 selection was The Degenerates by Raeden Richardson. In The Degenerates, we land on the streets of Melbourne to meet fascinating, complex characters as they navigate loneliness and connection. 

Use these discussion questions to engage with the book further, whether in a book club with friends, or just on your own as you digest the story. 

Reading questions for The Degenerates by Raeden Richardson.

• The places in the story become as important as the characters. Melbourne will be familiar to many of our subscribers – did it feel familiar or different to your own experience of the city?
  
  
• Somnath puts his work above all else, hoarding his wealth and possessions. Once his story has come to its end, his money is nowhere to be found. What does this say about our endless drive for more, how we prioritise, and the legacy we leave?
  
  
• “Loneliness, she told herself, was the key to freedom, the underlying inspiration needed to leave. One day, the whole sad house would sit snugly in her rear-view mirror.” Do you see loneliness as a motivator, like Ginny in the quote above, or a roadblock?
  
  
• We’ll admit we have a soft spot for Titch! Which of the characters did you connect with the most?
  
  
• There are a lot of mystical/fantastical and symbolic elements to this story. Were there any of these elements that left you uncertain of their purpose?
  
  
• Each of the characters ‘voices’ are distinct, a culmination of their surroundings, their upbringing and their aspirations. In a recent interview Richardson said that he wanted to disturb the notion of one ‘correct’ English way of speaking: “I need different forms of English when speaking to my aunt in Dubai or my agent in New York or with friends in Glen Waverley. Voice changes and morphs; selves change and morph, too.” How do you use language differently in different spheres of your own life? 

Please note, these questions were written and distributed in December 2024.