The House of Fortune

The novel is written in close third person. How does this point of view affect your reading experience? How are Thea and Nella’s worldviews expressed, compared, and contrasted through this choice of POV? How would the novel have been different in the first person or third-person omniscient?

Thea routinely eavesdrops and overhears conversations. What is the result of this plot device? How effective is this device in conveying information or furthering character? How does it clarify or confuse?

Values such as “cleanliness” and “patience” are used to personify Amsterdam. To what extent do these values accurately capture the novel’s setting? Discuss the ways in which the Brandt’s exemplify or reject these values.

Although flashbacks are not used often, the dead are very much alive in the novel. What devices does the author use to portray Marin and Johannes? How do these “ghosts” influence the present?

The novel consistently returns to the image of Thea’s “stained gold dress.” What is the symbolism of this image? Identify and discuss other examples of repeated or prominent images. What is the significance or purpose of this repetition?

The Brandt’s are described as the “masquerade of a wealthy family.” Consider the theme of appearance versus reality in the novel. Discuss the “necessary deceptions” the novel chronicles. What is the significance?

The Brandt’s are described as the “masquerade of a wealthy family.” Consider the theme of appearance versus reality in the novel. Discuss the “necessary deceptions” the novel chronicles. What is the significance?

Thea sells a map of Africa to pay off her blackmailer. What is the significance of maps in the novel? Discuss the theme of travel and how it is explored and perceived by different characters.

Shakespearean allusions are featured prominently in the novel. Titus Adronicus, Romeo and Juliet, and The Taming of the Shrew are mentioned by name. What is the result of these allusions? How are the themes and characters of these plays used to reflect or contrast the characters and themes in the novel?

The novel portrays a world in which everything is turned into a commodity and, in turn, for sale: real estate, art, housekeepers, even silence. How are economic matters rendered in the novel?

Discuss the role of botany and the natural world in the novel. How do plants function against the urban setting? How does Nella’s ancestral home, Assendelft, function as a setting, memory, or character?

Contrasting philosophies of love are in conversation throughout the novel. Discuss the different philosophies and the ways in which they are practiced by different characters. How do characters change or maintain their philosophies or love?