Book Club Discussion Questions for Prophet Song by Paul Lynch

Book Club Discussion Questions

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Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

1. Consider the opening scene of the novel. How does the author's choice of imagery and language begin to establish the tone of the book? What major themes does the scene foreshadow and how does this set the stage for the characters'—and readers'—introduction to a society rapidly unraveling in the grip of authoritarianism?
2. Who knocks at Eilish Stack's door at the start of the story and how does she respond? Were you surprised by her reaction? Upon the arrival of her visitors, what "universal reflex" (2) does Eilish become conscious of ? How does this begin to crack open for readers the feeling of the world she and her family now inhabit?
3. In Chapter 1 Simon tells Eilish that "tradition is nothing more than what everyone can agree on ... if you change ownership of the institutions then you can change ownership of the facts, you can alter the structure of belief " (20). What does he mean by this and where in the novel do readers find his observation proved true or untrue? What might this reveal about the power of storytelling— including the ways in which narrative can be co-opted as propaganda in order to undermine truth?
4. Why do you think the author chose not to provide an explanation of the events and politics that led to the societal breakdown represented in the novel? What important purpose(s) might this serve? Do you think your relationship to the story would have been different if the author had chosen to include these details? Why or why not?
5. The author made deliberate choices to eschew quotation marks and paragraph breaks within each section. What impact did these decisions have on you as a reader and why do you think the author made these formal choices? How does the form of the book encourage, for example, a closer understanding of the plight of the characters?
6. Many critics and reviewers have characterized Prophet Song as an example of dystopian literature, but is this accurate? Consider the ways in which the book transcends the boundaries of conventional dystopian novels. Why might it be wrong—or at least imprecise—to categorize the novel as dystopian or speculative?
7. Explore the imagery of the novel. What recurring images become motifs? How, for instance, does Lynch employ descriptions of light and darkness or the natural world to support the themes of the book and draw us closer to the characters? How does he utilize contrasting imagery? In Chapter 1 Larry watches Eilish breastfeeding Ben and sees the scene as "a sense of life contracted to an image so at odds with malice" (4). How do these juxtapositions allow, for example, the author to underscore the chaos of the time or, alternatively, to illuminate that which endures?
8. How does Prophet Song create a dialogue around memory and the passage of time? Does the book ever answer the question of how our personal histories and our collective history are influenced by both? Is personal or collective memory reliable? How do the various characters in the novel relate to their own distant and not-so-distant but shattered pasts?
9. In Chapter 2 Bailey asks Eilish when his father will be coming back and Eilish responds by lying to her son: "I've told you, love, he had to go away for work" (33). Do you think that she made the right choice? Why does she do this and how does her decision affect their relationship? How does this scene serve as an introduction to a more expansive meditation on the intermingled themes of truth and deception?
10. In Chapter 7 Eilish recognizes that "she has lied to herself about so many things" (235). What are some of the things that she has lied to herself about and what do you think allows her to reach this conclusion? Were you surprised that her realization came so late in the day? Why or why not?
11. How does the novel explore themes of complicity and silence? Who in the book would you say is complicit? Who speaks up and who remains silent? Eilish demands to know "why has nobody shouted stop?" (36) Does the book ultimately answer this question?
12. In Chapter 5 Carole points out that for those in charge "the silence is the source of their power" (165). What does she mean by this? How is silence used by those in power to create an atmosphere of fear that leads to greater control? How do the characters in the book resist or otherwise push back against this?
13. How does Prophet Song propose a reorientation of our way of looking at the ordinary and the mundane? What, for instance, does the novel reveal about the banality of evil or that which "hides in the humdrum" (43)?
14. "History is a silent record of people who did not know when to leave" (103), Eilish's sister warns, but at the novel's conclusion how would you respond to this? Why do people like Gerry Brennan and Mrs. Gaffney stay? Why does Eilish hesitate to leave despite the chaos and violence around her?
15. How does the novel paint a complex portrait of grief—its varieties and complexities? Who in the book is grieving and what causes them to do so? How does each character attempt to cope with their grief? Does the book ultimately seem to offer any insight into how we might help ourselves and others in the presence of grief?
16. What does the book reveal to readers about human dignity? How, for instance, does Eilish maintain her own sense of dignity throughout the story? Were you surprised by this? Why might this have been so important to her?
17. Molly observes: "if you want to give war its proper name, call it entertainment, we are now TV for the rest of the world" (160). Where else do readers find the book challenging the way we think about wars and unjust events that occur outside of our own country—our complicity or our complacency?
18. "I used to believe in free will, if you had asked me before all of this I would have told you I was free as a bird, but now I'm not so sure," Mona tells Eilish (302). What does Prophet Song have to say about agency and free will? Does such a thing exist? Do the characters of Prophet Song have free will or are they simply batted around by chance or fate? How do they attempt to maintain and exert their will? Are any of them successful in this?
19. Revisit the last line of the book. Did you find Eilish's final choice surprising? Why or why not? How does the story ultimately work as an equation that wends its way towards proof of what is contained in the last line—and the inevitability of Eilish's ultimate decision?
20. At the story's conclusion, what is the eponymous phrase prophet song meant to signal to us about our assumptions of apocalypse and the world's end? According to the author, of what does the prophet sing? What does Lynch mean when he writes of Eilish looking to the sky and seeing only "the world insisting on itself" (303)?

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