Internment

The Muslims interred in the camp turn to religion and prayer as a survival strategy, most notably Layla’s mother. How does religion provide the detainees with strength? How does the novel suggest that this sort of strength alone is not enough to endure?

Define how the novel uses the term “resistance.” Using Jake Reynolds, Saleem the minder, and David, how does the novel compare and contrast strategies for resisting the imprisonment policy?

The more the Director urges the detainees to think of the camp as their community, the more his rhetoric creates a surreal kind of normalcy. Using the camp orientation scene and later the interrogation scenes between the Director and Layla, how does the Director weaponize the concept of “normal”? Look up the term “Mobius,” as in a Mobius strip. Why might that be an all-too-applicable name for the camp?

Jake Reynolds is the novel’s most complicated character. Layla describes him as a puzzle without critical pieces. Given what little Jake reveals about his past, why does he decide to act against the Director? Why does he help Layla? Is it rooted in more than his obvious attraction for her? Why does Jake take the bullet directed at Layla?

The novel draws on many literary figures and works to give substance and context for Layla’s resistance to the camp. In addition, Layla herself ignites the resistance through her own writings. Using any of her copious references—The Crucible, Brave New World, Persuasion, The Inferno, The Left Hand of Darkness, Dickinson’s poem 341, Stephen Crane’s “There Was a Man with a Tongue of Wood,” and her father’s poetry—make an argument on behalf of the power of the written word in times of trouble and oppression.

Although Donald Trump’s name is never mentioned, the novel reflects that era in American politics and culture. Research the rhetoric of Trump’s tweets and his speeches in which he vilified immigrants, denounced Muslims, and encouraged racial and ethnic division as a savvy, winning political strategy. The Director says, “People want to be happy in their ignorance.” Why did such rhetoric find such wide approval? Is this the real America?

The novel looks at the power of the media and the reach of social media as instrumental in closing the camp. In an era when media is often criticized or even denounced, does this element of the novel vindicate such media? The Director tries to manipulate the media during the Red Cross visit. What is the role of traditional media and social media in this new age of global communications? Could the camp have been closed without the media?

What is an American? The novel investigates the role of diversity in creating the American character. What role does scapegoating play in this sense of national identity?