Brotherless Night

The novel starts with a startling sentence, "I recently sent a letter to a terrorist I used to know,” and then follows it up with the statement "I met a lot of these sorts of people when I was younger because I used to be what you would call a terrorist myself." Is it fair to call Sashi a former terrorist? How did this novel impact your thinking around what it means to be a "terrorist" and who gets to use that terminology?

How familiar were you with the Sri Lankan civil war prior to reading this novel? If you did, how did your knowledge compare to the portrayal of the conflict in the book? If you didn't know much about the conflict, why do you think that is the case?

Discuss the portrayal of women in the novel. How do gender roles and expectations influence the female characters' choices and experiences, particularly in the context of war?

What role does education play in the story? How does it affect the characters' perspectives and opportunities? Why is the destruction of the library in Jaffna particularly fraught and meaningful for the characters?

Discuss the significance of the title "Brotherless Night." How does it relate to the themes and events in the book?

Many readers of the book have observed that the book reads like a nonfiction memoir. Do you agree? If so, what components or details made it read that way?

At times, Sashi breaks from her first person narration to directly address the reader, frequently using the phrase, "you must understand." What was the impact of these short asides?

A pivotal scene in the novel revolves around a book club. Explore the role of reading and discussion as a form of resistance.

As a doctor, Sashi hopes to "do no harm." Does she succeed? Is it possible for anyone to succeed at this?

One theme of Brotherless Night is bearing witness to atrocities, and the importance of who tells the story of what happened. How do characters in the novel seek to influence what version of history is accepted?

Brotherless Night deals in the choices people make under unimaginable constraints. But it is also a story of agency and choice. How do different characters in the novel navigate ethical dilemmas, and what does that say about them? In particular, how do the characters navigate obligation to family, to one's people, and to the greater good?

In The New Yorker, Nathan Heller wrote that Brotherless Night "rang softly for me as a novel for our own country in this odd time.” Although the events take place primarily in 1980s Sri Lanka, what lessons or themes did you take with you for the United States or other countries in the present day?