Book Club Questions (GWATF)
Please feel free to use or adapt these if you find them useful!
Siu Yin believes that humanity lacks empathy, and only learns empathy through suffering. Eg we don’t understand the pain we inflict on others, until we experience it ourselves. Do you agree with this? What are some flaws, if any, in her perspective?
The goddess tells Mercy towards the end that she carries a share of blame for each of the people that Siu Yin has slain over the years. Do you agree with this? Why or why not?
Is Siu Yin evil? What makes her evil / not evil? Where do we draw the line between understanding where someone comes from, versus refusing to condone how they behave?
Are humans still capable of goodness, even when life gives them no chances and few choices? What does it mean to be good in a world that does not value your existence at all?
Do you regard Siu Yin and Mercy to still be humans by the end of the novel? Why or why not? At what point does a human being become a monster?
The novel ends on a somewhat open-ended note. What do you think will be the outcome of Siu Yin and Mei Chi attempting to ‘re-set’ their relationship and try again?
