Book Club Questions about A Citizen of the Country


  1. At the beginning of this novel, Alexander announces his distrust of Perdita, his blind and “risky” wife. Do you think he truly learns to trust and accept her? Why or why not?
  2. Perdita has sacrificed a great deal in the name of her family. Does Alexander truly appreciate the extent of her sacrifices? Can Perdita reconcile herself to these sacrifices and move forward?
  3. Will Perdita ever think of Paris as home?
  4. Alexander and André are both struggling to find their home in the world. How do you define home?
  5. This novel opens with a quote from Rainer Maria Rilke: “We are born, so to speak, provisionally, it doesn’t matter where. It is only gradually that we compose within ourselves our true place of origin.” Do you agree? Or do you think we are prisoners of our past?
  6. Alexander and Gilbert are both haunted by William Knight. Do you think they finally manage to exorcise his ghost?
  7. Alexander tells Perdita, “I am sorry. I am more than you bargained for.” Have you ever felt this way? How did you deal with it?
  8. After overhearing Perdita tell their son his secrets, Alexander vows to teach his son “that one can be wrong without being vile and right without being God.” What has Alexander finally learned?
  9. The families in this novel have been fractured and reconstituted in many different ways—death, adoption, rediscovery. How do you define family?
  10. Do you think Toby will have the happy family that his parents and uncle want so desperately for him?
  11. André is very cruel to a wife who truly loves him. What do you think of André’s treatment of Sabine? Does she deserve it?
  12. What do you make of Sabine? Is she a monster, a spoiled child, or a gifted witch?
  13. Why did André’s mother make her fateful final decision?
  14. Will André be able to carry on with his role as Necrosar at the Grand Necropolitan? Or has the reckoning with his past robbed him of the need and ability to be Necrosar?
  15. How do you define a citizen of a country? Is it based purely on legal documentation?
  16. Cyron has become a national hero and symbol, but at what cost?
  17. What do you think Cyron’s intentions were when Alexander confronted him in his office? Do you think Cyron would have shot Alexander?
  18.  Many characters in this novel are forced to choose between their personal lives and their duty to their nation. Under what circumstances does duty to country supersede duty to family and vice versa?
  19. Did you figure out the secret of Montfort?
  20. One reviewer has commented, “Smith defines even her minor characters clearly and crisply.” Which of the minor characters was most memorable for you?
  21. When this novel ends, the outbreak of World War I is only a few years away. What do you imagine will be the fate of these characters in the midst of this devastating war?
  22. Overall, how does your group rate this novel? How does it compare with other works your book group has read?
 
What is your group reading next? How do you decide what books to read?

DVD Extras


  • First in the series: The Vanished Child--"Someone killed Richard.  Now Richard wants to know why,"


New Director’s Cut Edition--available for preorder; published March 15, 2020
470 pages. Trade paper, $16.99  ePub and MOBI $2.99
Preorder through Ingram--9781951636029
Universal book link for your favorite other eBook site books2read.com/u/bxvkkq
Kindle https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07Z9Y5WQC