BKMT READING GUIDES
When God Was a Rabbit: A Novel
by Sarah Winman
Published: 2012-04-24
Paperback : 304 pages
Paperback : 304 pages
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4 members have read this book
2 clubs reading this now
4 members have read this book
When God Was a Rabbit is the story of a memorable young heroine, Elly, and her loss of innocence; a magical portrait of the pull and power of family ties, of loss and life. From Essex and Cornwall to the streets of New York, from 1968 to the events of 9/11, When God Was a Rabbit follows ...
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Introduction
When God Was a Rabbit is the story of a memorable young heroine, Elly, and her loss of innocence; a magical portrait of the pull and power of family ties, of loss and life. From Essex and Cornwall to the streets of New York, from 1968 to the events of 9/11, When God Was a Rabbit follows the evolving bond of love and secrets between Elly and her brother, Joe, and her increasing concern for her best friend, Jenny Penny, who has secrets of her own. Funny, quirky, utterly compelling, and poignant, too, When God Was a Rabbit heralds the start of a remarkable new literary career.
Discussion Questions
From the publisher:1. In the prologue of When God Was a Rabbit, Elly recalls a coin trick Jenny Penny showed her when they were children. What does Elly learn about faith, loyalty, and magic from Jenny? How does this scene introduce their friendship, and how does it foreshadow the problems that the girls will face?
2. Discuss Elly’s friendship with Abraham Golan, her next-door neighbor. Why does Elly prefer his company to friends her own age? Why doesn’t Elly tell her parents her secret about Mr. Golan? How does she react to his death, and how does the secret haunt her in the years to come?
3. Why does Elly name her pet rabbit god? How does this name relate to her father’s ambivalence about religion and fate? As an adult, Elly writes in her “Lost and Found” column that her childhood was a time “when sweets were a penny and god was a rabbit” (246). How has Elly’s view of the world changed since that magical time?
4. According to Elly, “Jenny Penny’s mother was as different from mine as any mother could be” (46). What are the differences between these two mothers? What are some similarities that might not be so apparent to young Elly?
5. Discuss the consequences of Mr. X’s case, when Elly’s father defended a guilty man against charges of child molestation. Why does the death of Mr. X’s accuser continue to haunt Elly’s father? Does he ever forgive himself for Mr. X’s acquittal? Why or why not?
6. Part Two of the novel picks up fifteen years later, in 1995. How has Elly changed? In what ways has Elly failed to come to terms with her past? How will she mend her two closest relationships—with her brother and with Jenny—in Part Two?
7. Although When God Was a Rabbit features traumatic events—child molestation, suicide, kidnapping, murder, illness, and terrorism—the novel also shines with humor. How does the novel manage to balance tragedy and comedy?
8. Consider the character of Nancy, Elly and Joe’s glamorous aunt. How does Nancy support her family in difficult times? How does she help Joe come to terms with his homosexuality?
9. After her move to Cornwall, Elly sends Jenny a fossil she found with Nancy, who says, “Nothing stays forgotten for long, Elly. Sometimes we have to remind the world that we’re special and that we’re still here” (105). Why does Jenny return the fossil to Elly when she gets out of jail? What does the fossil symbolize to Jenny and Elly?
10. Discuss the high and low points of Elly’s parents’ relationship. How does a Mercedes almost break up their marriage? Why does Elly’s father feel alienated from his wife when she insists that Joe is still alive after 9/11? What role does Nancy play within their marriage, and how does this complicated love triangle seem to work?
11. When Joe suffers from amnesia after 9/11, Elly remembers a phrase from her childhood, when god the rabbit reappeared after his death: “I am here but I am not yours” (267). How does this saying apply to Joe and to the rabbit? What does Elly learn about lasting relationships from each of these losses?
12. Compare Elly and Jenny’s friendship to Joe and Charlie’s. How do Elly and Joe lose touch with their best friends? How does each sibling cope with the loss? How does each friendship survive long distances and tragic events?
13. Realizing how much she has kept from her parents, Elly thinks, “I knew I’d hurt them with this distance, with this silence, and now they’d understand; but at what price?” (288). What was the price of keeping the secret, and what are the costs and benefits of telling it?
14. When God Was the Rabbit incorporates world events into the plot, from John Lennon’s murder to international kidnappings to the tragic losses of 9/11. How does history look through Elly’s eyes? What perspective does she have on tragedy and loss?
15. Consider the ties among family members, friends, and lovers in When God Was a Rabbit. Which bond seems strongest for these characters: family, friendship, or romance?
Give some examples to explain your answer.
Suggested reading
Lorrie Moore, A Gate at the Stairs; John Irving, Last Night in Twisted River; Paul Murray, Skippy Dies; David Nicholl, One Day; Aimee Bender, The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake; Sarah Shun-lien Bynum, Ms. Hempel Chronicles; Miranda July, No One Belongs Here More Than You; Jonathan Safran Foer, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close; Tao Lin, Eeeee Eee Eeee; Joseph O’Neill, Netherland; Julie Orringer, The Invisible Bridge; Claire Messud, The Emperor’s Children; Jonathan Lethem, Chronic City
Sarah Winman is an actress who attended the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art and has gone on to act in film and theater and on television. When God Was a Rabbit is her debut novel. She lives in London.
Notes From the Author to the Bookclub
Reviews: “Winman’s debut boasts one of the more endearingly unconventional families in a while. A freshly rendered tale of growing up and living in the world by a late-starting author with a bright future.”—Kirkus Reviews "Winman debuts with a heartbreaking story of the secrets and hopes of a sister and brother who share an unshakable bond. Elly and her older brother, Joe, appear to be just like all the other kids in mid-1970s Essex, U.K., but, as is often the case, shocking secrets lurk below the surface for the siblings and Elly's best friend, Jenny Penny--one has been sexually abused, another has an alcoholic and promiscuous mother, another is homosexual--and the weight of bearing each other's traumas erupts in hard to watch ways. As the years go on, each moves forward; for Elly and Joe, this is more easily accomplished, as their family moves away from Essex and Joe's secret is brought to light, relief Elly doesn't receive until much later. As the story winds through time and across the Atlantic, the trio and their families are rocked by 9/11, leading to a final twist that strains belief before settling into acceptable inevitability. Winman shows impressive range and vision in breaking out of the muted coming-of-age mold, and the narrative's intensity will appeal to readers who like a little gloom." (May)—Publishers WeeklyBook Club Recommendations
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