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The Lunatic
For fans of Henry David Thoreau comes The Lunatic—the debut literary novel from the author of two previous non-fiction books, Michelle B. Slater, PhD.
Set during the height of the Occupy Movement of 2011, 28-year-old Nell Harding starts an experiment—alongside her faithful animal companion Argos—with the goal of crafting a different kind of life for herself. Despite Nell being a rare books librarian, she’s not immune to the lures of digital distraction, and she wonders if it’s possible to create a meaningful life off the seductive digital grid.
Using herself as a test subject, Nell unplugs to see what will happen, leaving New York City to return to the Berkshire Hills of her childhood. What she finds is a life far more challenging, surprising, and—ultimately—rewarding than she could have possibly envisioned.
Drawing from Slater’s background as a scholar of comparative literature and lover of conservationism, the novel engages with the work of poets, novelists, and philosophers, including Mallarmé, Baudelaire, Emerson, Musil, Broch, and more. Nature lovers and modern-day philosophers won’t be able to resist the tempting question—is absorption possible in the age of distraction?
These book club questions are from The Future Of Agency.
Book club questions for The Lunatic by Michelle Slater PhD
Use these discussion questions to guide your next book club meeting.
When Nell moves back to her family’s home in the Berkshires, how does she eliminate distraction? Do you find it impactful and helpful in achieving her goals?
What makes Nell want to leave her life in New York City? What makes Nell different from her colleagues and friends in New York City?
What does Nell want to achieve in the Berkshires? Do you feel that she is able to achieve this by the end of the book? Is Nell’s period of solitude and privacy something you feel you would be able to achieve?
How does Waldo influence Nell and how she approaches interacting with the world and others? What makes him a profound character?
Why is Xavier attractive to Nell? What makes their rapport complex? What role has Blake played in Nell’s life historically, and what might be hidden behind that?
How does Nell’s solitude help her recover from her past trauma and experiences? How does it reshape how she saw her life and interacted with the world?
What role does nature play in The Lunatic? How are the events of the book influenced by the Berkshires setting?
Do you have an animal in your life with a similar relationship to Nell and Argos’s relationship? How is Nell and Argos special, and how do their interactions impact Nell’s story?
How does Nell see herself in relation to the Parsas and vice versa? What can we learn from how Nell and the Parsas spend their time together? How does Nell “build a longer table?”
The moon is referenced and observed many times throughout the book. What does the moon represent to Nell and her journey?
Why is the book titled The Lunatic?
Do you feel absorption is possible in the age of distraction? Why or why not?
The Lunatic Book Club Questions PDF
Click here for a printable PDF of the The Lunatic discussion questions