Book Club Discussion Questions for Where There Was Fire by John Manuel Arias

Summary |  Excerpt |  Reading Guide |  Reviews |  Beyond the Book |  Read-Alikes |  Genres & Themes |  Author Bio

Where There Was Fire by John Manuel Arias

Where There Was Fire

by John Manuel Arias
  • BookBrowse Review:
  • Critics' Consensus (7):
  • First Published:
  • Aug 29, 2023, 288 pages
  • Paperback:
  • Sep 2024, 288 pages
  • Rate this book

About this Book

Book Club Discussion Questions

Print PDF

In a book club? Subscribe to our Book Club Newsletter and get our best book club books of 2025!



For supplemental discussion material see our Beyond the Book article, The United Fruit Company: The Scourge of Central and South America and our BookBrowse Review of Where There Was Fire.


Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

  1. The fictional American Fruit company plays a large role in the novel, and in the lives of the Cepeda Valverde family for generations to come. What are some of the challenges Tácito and José María face while working at the American Fruit Company?
  2. What did you know about how bananas were grown and the pesticide Nemagon before reading this novel? Has it changed how you feel about the fruits you consume and how they're produced?
  3. There are a lot of secrets in this book, from corporate cover ups to deeply hidden family secrets. What resonated the most with you and why?
  4. The novel explores family members in three different generations, and the impact of their decisions on future generations. What are the decisions your ancestors made that still have an impact on you today?
  5. Despite loving each other deeply, the Cepeda Valverde family hides a lot of things from each other. Why do you think that is? How has it helped or hindered their family?
  6. Lyra keeps Gabriel away from his grandmother, Teresa, for many years. How do you feel about her decision to do so?
  7. Fertility is an issue for several of the characters in the novel. How does it affect them and the decisions they make?
  8. Part of the novel takes place in 1968, and Teresa bears witness to a changing political landscape, including the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Apollo moon landing. How do these events affect Teresa?
  9. Throughout the book we see touches of magical realism. What are some of the magical realist elements you noticed? And why do you think the author included them?
  10. The title of the novel is Where There Was Fire. What do you think fire signifies in the novel? To different characters?
  11. How does Gabriel's coming-of-age story inform the novel? Why does he focus on his matrilineal heritage rather than patrilineal?
  12. The name 'María' and the image/idea of the Virgin Mary pop up throughout the novel. Does the Virgin Mary reflect the expectations put on the women in the novel? Who establishes these expectations and how do the different generations of women handle these expectations?
  13. Most of the motives of the American Fruit Company are shown through discovered memos. Why do you think the author chose to present it this way?
  14. Ghosts and the dead make several appearances–some reveal themselves, others watch from the shadows. Have you ever seen a ghost? Why do you think they visit the living?
  15. In the epilogue, Lyra presents her findings and the memos to the International Court of Human Rights. Do you think her testimony will be successful? Do you think the American Fruit Company will pay for its crimes?


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

Membership Advantages
  • Reviews
  • "Beyond the Book" articles
  • Free books to read and review (US only)
  • Find books by time period, setting & theme
  • Read-alike suggestions by book and author
  • Book club discussions
  • and much more!
  • Just $60 for 12 months or $20 for 3 months.
  • More about membership!

BookBrowse Book Club

Book Jacket
Broken Country (Reese's Book Club)
by Clare Leslie Hall
A love triangle reveals deadly secrets in this thriller for fans of The Paper Palace and Where the Crawdads Sing.

Members Recommend

  • Book Jacket

    The Whyte Python World Tour
    by Travis Kennedy

    Rikki Thunder, drummer for '80s metal band Whyte Python, is on the verge of fame, love—and a spy mission he didn’t expect.

  • Book Jacket

    The World's Greatest Detective and Her Just Okay Assistant
    by Liza Tully

    A great detective's young assistant yearns for glory, but first they have learn to get along in this delightful feel good mystery.

  • Book Jacket

    The Original
    by Nell Stevens

    In a grand English country house in 1899, an aspiring art forger must unravel whether the man claiming to be her long-lost cousin is an impostor.

  • Book Jacket

    Angelica
    by Molly Beer

    A women-centric view of revolution through the life of Angelica Schuyler Church, Alexander Hamilton's influential sister-in-law.

Who Said...

To win without risk is to triumph without glory

Click Here to find out who said this, as well as discovering other famous literary quotes!

Wordplay

Solve this clue:

E H L the B

and be entered to win..

Your guide toexceptional          books

BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.