WellRead’s December 2019 selection was There Was Still Love by Favel Parrett. Described by Parrett herself, There Was Still Love “came straight out of my heart and is essentially a love letter to my grandparents, Mitzi and Bill … this book is mostly fiction, but some of it is based on remembered things – important things.”
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 There Was Still Love by Favel Parrett
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The story oscillates in place, perspective and time. How did you find this fragmented approach?
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Although told gently, the book is above all else an immigrant narrative about the impact of war. Did it make you consider contemporary issues concerning displacement and migration?
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Grandparents are the shining stars of the book and it almost reads as an ode to them. What is it about grandparents and their capacity to give up their lives for the sake of their children and grandchildren?
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Reading dark histories via a child narrator is a rich literary tradition. Why do you think writers do this?
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The Saturday Paper said the “beauty in this novel comes from its quiet scenes” and we couldn’t agree more. Parrett is expert at showing and not telling and writes with careful subtlety. Did you appreciate this gentleness or were you itching for action?
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"It is easy to think somewhere else is better. But when you leave home, there are things you miss that you never imagined you would. Small things. Like the smell of the river, or the sound of rain on the cobblestones, the taste of local beer. You long to have those things again...and when you do, you know that you are home.” This beautiful passage made us think about home as a concept and what defines it. What are your ‘small things’ that let you know you are home?
- What do you think is at the crux of the book's title?
Please note, these questions were written and distributed in December, 2019.