READERS GUIDE

Questions and Topics for Discussion

1. Consider the narrative voice in which Doctor Bloom’s Story is told. Do you find Dr. Bloom charming, pretentious, wise or…? Why?

2. Which of the main characters do you find most, or least, appealing? And which is most, or least, convincing? Why?

3. What is the significance of the various nicknames Bloom gives himself in the novel? How important is it to the book that he is trying to be a writer?

4. What do you think of the ending of the novel?

5. Choose one of these themes and discuss how the novel explores it: religion, violence, religion, emigration, responsibility, masochism, writing, love.

6. Does Bloom do the right thing? What would you do in his situation?

7. Dr. Coomaraswamy is describing the wounds Maggione inflicts on Sophie — concealed, hard-to-detect bruising:

She said, steadily, “I picture him labouring over her.”
Neither Marianne nor I said a word.
“A kind of artist,” Celia said.

What do you think of this passage? What insights does it give into Maggione, or the other characters’ perception of him?

8. Have you read any other novels by writers who are also poets? How does Doctor Bloom’s Story compare with their efforts? You could consider Michael Ondaatje, Margaret Atwood, Al Purdy, etc. (And: how do you think being a poet could affect one’s approach to writing a novel?)

9. What are your criticisms of Doctor Bloom’s Story?

10. Dr. Bloom regularly talks about his love of Chekhov, and many other writers make appearances in his thoughts, from Joyce to Musil to Böll to Orwell. What do you think is the most important literary influence on this novel — and which writers does it most remind you of?