1. Although Frank’s diary is fictional, Philippe Collin explains in the author’s note that he conceived of the diary entries to “shed light on this extraordinary life.” How do you think Frank’s diary entries serve the story? Why do you think Collin chose to include these entries at specific spots in the story?

2. Frank explains how he became a barman in New York on page 20. Why do you think Frank chose to become a bartender? How do you think it fits his character?

3. On page 44, Frank writes in his diary entry: “Where am I from? I don’t really know anymore.” Discuss how the theme of Frank’s complicated identity comes up through the novel and why it is significant.

4. On page 58, Collin writes that Frank is “humiliated by his own spinelessness.” Discuss the theme of “spinelessness” throughout the book. Do you see Frank as spineless or brave? In what ways do you think he does or does not overcome his self-perceived “spinelessness”?

5. On page 73, Blanche tells Frank, “I’ve always felt safe inside your bar, no matter the chaos of the world outside.” Why do you think this is significant? How does this inform their relationship?

6. Frank finds himself “caught between two worlds that exist side by side yet never meet: the world of the Ritz, with its pomp, its opulence, and its predators, and the outside world where people are struggling” (page 92). How does Frank navigate these two worlds? How is he different in each?

7. When Luciano is scared that he will be caught for being Jewish, Frank tells him that “the bar is a theater, where everyone wears a mask” (page 102). Can you see this playing out in other parts of the story? What are some ways in which the bar acts as a theater?

8. Frank is faced with many moral dilemmas. Do you think Frank should have taken Süss’ deal? On page 128, he says, “Do I really have a choice?” How would you answer that question for him?

9. Frank believes that he is continuously being used by characters in the book, first by Blanche, and then by Inga. Do you think he was being used? If you think that he was, why do you think these characters used him?

10. Although Frank Meier and many of the characters in the book were real, the character of Luciano is fictional. Why do you think Collin chose to include him as a character?

11. On page 338, Frank says, “I am a prisoner of the Ritz and of my own inaction.” Frank has described the Ritz as both a theater and a prison. In what ways is the Ritz a prison?

12. Blanche gets arrested three times, and after the third time, Frank admits he thinks she has been getting arrested on purpose. Do you agree? If so, why do you think she does this?

13. Several times throughout the novel, Frank imagines confessing his Jewish identity, even though it would have serious consequences for him. Why do you think he considers this? How has the weight of his secrets affected him?