The Truth According to Us

In her final letter to her father, Layla describes what she has learned from her experiences in Macedonia and why she has decided against returning to her former life. One of the conclusions she draws is that “history is the autobiography of the historian” (459). What does she mean by this?

Discuss the novel’s treatment of patriarchal authority and the relationships between men and women.

In Chapter 44, Willa reflects that “people had been thrown out of the Garden of Eden for knowing, so there must be something to know, reasons, all the time and everywhere, for the way they behaved” (374). Discuss the meaning of “knowledge” in Barrows’s novel.

When trying to convince Jottie to forgive Felix in Chapter 56, Willa reflects, “Rightness is nothing. You can’t live on it. You might as well eat ashes […] The only thing time leaves for us to decide […] is whether or not we’re going to hate each other” (481). Discuss the significance of this statement for the novel as a whole.

Jottie is torn between her affections for Felix, Sol, and Vause throughout the text. Compare and contrast the portrayal and functions of these three characters. As a reader, how do you react to the choice that Jottie makes at the end of the novel? Why?

Discuss Barrows’s portrayal of the small town of Macedonia and its community.

Consider the theme and the meaning of family in The Truth According to Us.

How does the personal history of the Romeyn family overlap and intermingle with the more public history of Macedonia?