1. Bertie has a fixation about inanimate objects, such as where they came from and where they went. Why do you think this is?

2. Bertie is often preoccupied with Gert’s whereabouts, especially after WWII. In what ways is his preoccupation reasonable? In what ways is it detrimental? Where is the line, if any, between healthy and unhealthy concern about a loved one?

3. Trans people during the Weimar Republic could carry police-sanctioned cards identifying themselves as trans. In relation to the time, do you feel this was a good thing or a bad thing? Why?

4. Why do you think Karl was so resistant to masculinity lessons despite identifying as a man?

5. Does this book reflect today’s current political climate? Why or why not?

6. Karl says that survival is inherently selfish. Do you agree or disagree? Why?

7. In what ways, if any, does this book alter your perceptions of WWII, the Holocaust, and/or America’s role in the liberation of Germany? Did anything surprise you?

8. When Karl shares his story, no white space is used. Contrarily, when Hitler becomes chancellor, plenty of white space is used. What do you think these narrative approaches are meant to express?

9. Bertie, Karl and Sofie all show their grief and survivor’s guilt in different ways. What are these ways, and why do you think they differ from one another?

10. Do you feel Sofie and Bertie are bad people for going into hiding instead of actively fighting against fascism? Why or why not?

11. Do you feel Bertie was in unrequited love with Gert? Why or why not?

12. What do you think “Das Lila Lied” (“The Lilac Song”) means to Bertie, Sofie, Karl and Gert? What do you think it represents in the story itself?

13. Do you agree or disagree that all German citizens were made to pay reparations after WWII (in the form of physical labor and low food rations)?

14. In what ways do you feel community is expressed in this book? Which expressions are positive, and which are negative?

15. Do you believe Sofie would have been better off if she’d never met Bertie? Why or why not?

16. Do you interpret the ending as happy, sad, bittersweet, foreboding, hopeful or something else? Why?