Book Club Discussion Questions for Land of Milk and Honey by C Pam Zhang

Book Club Discussion Questions

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For supplemental discussion material see our Beyond the Book article, Jian Bing and our BookBrowse Review of Land of Milk and Honey.

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

1. C Pam Zhang's Land of Milk and Honey tells a near-future story about a chef who takes a job at a wealthy mountaintop colony, escaping her everyday troubles in a smog-filled world. How does the setting impact your understanding of the characters, their circumstances, and their views of livelihood?
2. The narrator prepares decadent meals for an enclosed elite community, while the rest of society has a scarcity of money and resources. Compare and contrast between individuals of different class and status. How are various forms of privilege manifested throughout the book?
3. In the novel, the protagonist makes a difficult career choice, one that is contrary to her mother's wishes. They fundamentally disagree about food, appetite, sustenance, and survival. What do you make of the protagonist's decision to devote her life to cooking? How do her motivations evolve as the plot develops?
4. As a private chef, the protagonist discovers a new palette full of pleasure. How do you interpret the connections between the sensory (e.g., color, touch, taste) and desire? Or between sensuality and indulgence?
5. Zhang employs rich language and imagery to depict a decaying world that feels palpable. What are the effects of juxtaposing lush details with the landscape of an arid environment? How does she achieve tension?
6. Lies and deception are soon uncovered, and the protagonist must take on responsibilities she hadn't foreseen. What does it mean for her to take on the identity of someone else—specifically as "Eun-Young," a motherly figure?
7. Faith becomes an integral part of the colony. How does faith function and shape the community when the world otherwise lacks hope? How is faith complicated by the potential for individuals to manipulate it as power?
8. The protagonist builds an intimate relationship with her employer's daughter, Aida. Consider their relationship in relation to the dynamics between Aida and her parents, and between the protagonist and her own family. How do these dynamics play out, and what do they reveal about the protagonist and Aida as individuals?
9. The novel places emphases on rules, obedience, social obligations, and ethics. What parallels do you see to these ideas in our world today?
10. Isolation is a factor that significantly impacts the characters. How might it influence their concepts of good and evil? How do they seek, or defy, connection and belonging in their community?
11. Toward the end, scientific and technological advances play an empowering yet destructive role within nature and civilization. What might the story be saying about humanity—and about our comprehension of progress, joy, and/or meaning?
12. What would you imagine the protagonist is looking for at the end of the book? What do you think she sees, and believes in? How has she transformed?

Unless otherwise stated, this discussion guide is reprinted with the permission of Riverhead Books. Any page references refer to a USA edition of the book, usually the trade paperback version, and may vary in other editions.

For supplemental discussion material see our Beyond the Book article, Jian Bing and our BookBrowse Review of Land of Milk and Honey.