1. On the first page of the novel, Atticus Cody sees the illusory vision of two suns--a sundog. This motif of doubling is one of the ways Hansen structures and unifies Atticus. Among the character pairings, in which the doubles are twins or opposites, are Scott-Reinhardt, Scott-Frank, Scott-Atticus, Atticus-Stuart, Atticus-Renaldo, Renata-Serena, and Serena-Carmina. What is the relation between the two characters in each pairing? How do these pairings contribute to the larger themes of the novel? What is symbolically suggested by the motif of doubling, with reference to ideas about identity? Fate?

2. Another instance of doubling in Atticus is in the novel's two main settings: Antelope County, Colorado and Resurrección, Mexico, along the Caribbean coast. How does Mexico function symbolically in relation to North America? Why do so many North Americans and Europeans settle there--what are they seeking? What do they find? What is the draw of Mayan culture and ritual for Scott? What is the impact of the expatriate community upon the locals? How do the Mexicans and expatriates regard one another? What is Mexico's effect on Atticus? What does it mean to return to Colorado after encountering this symbolic Mexico?

3. Hansen has said this is a novel "about forgiveness." The novel's main example of forgiveness is the father who forgives his prodigal son. What are the sins of the son that must be forgiven? Can we distinguish between Scott's sins--between his sins of commission or omission? Sins deliberately done or accidentally? Could you forgive Scott if he were a family member or friend? Are there things for which Atticus requires forgiveness from Scott?

4. A related theme of the novel is the nature of love. Think of Scott's mother's final words, "Oh honey, no," and Atticus's first words to Scott after the accident, "Are you okay?" Although Scott remembers them with shame, his parents' words demonstrate their loving connection to their son, even in the midst of catastrophe. What different kinds of love are portrayed in the novel? What makes some sustaining, while others appear to be primarily destructive? Or is ambivalence inherent in all love?

5. The novel suggests that "The House of He Who Invents Himself" is ultimately an underworld tomb, where homeless, nameless beggars dwell in "loss and impermanence." Why is this? What is Hansen suggesting about the relation of the individual to memory, family, and community? What are the responsibilities beyond self-preservation or self-invention that each of us have? What are the consequences of turning away from these responsibilities?

6. The novel unfolds by showing the ways a settled life--Atticus's in Colorado--can be tilted off balance by a sudden, unexpected event. But by the end of the novel, balance has been restored and Atticus resettles himself in Colorado, where he is eventually rejoined by his son. To achieve this, Hansen uses Scott's monologue (Part Six) and the brief Part Seven to tie up the loose threads of the murder mystery and disclose "the hidden value x that would solve the algebra of this boy" that lie at the center of the book. Do you feel that the conflicts in the novel are resolved too neatly? Do you feel that the happy ending is forced? unconvincing? Or that the structure of the moral parable underpinning the novel is inadequate to deal with the complexities of contemporary life?

7. The novel focuses on a troubled father-son relationship. Are there clues in the novel as to the origins of this vexed relationship? What are the conditions or problems that seem to have set Atticus and Scott at odds? Are father-son relationships difficult in ways that mother-daughter relationships are not? What do you feel the future might hold for Atticus and Scott?

8. On another level, the father-son relationship alludes to God the Father in relation to humanity. In what ways does the novel develop this overtly religious theme?