The Book of Lost Names

The plot of the earliest chapters in the novel hinges on the characters’ choices. Take, for instance, the choice that Eva and her family make not to heed Joseph’s warnings about the upcoming seizure of Jewish people in Paris. How is this motif of denial of reality present throughout the novel, and how does it play into what happens to these characters?

Compare and contrast the characters of Madame Fontain and Madame Barbier. Look carefully at their treatment of the Taube family as well as their overall morality in the midst of wartime.

So much of the history of the Holocaust centers around the erasure of Jewish identity. Shortly after reuniting, Joseph says to Eva, “We’re all pretending to be something we’re not, aren’t we?” How do his words echo the fluidity of identity, both forced and chosen?

Consider Mamusia’s obvious dislike for any religion other than Judaism, present in the way she treats Remy and Pere Clement. Is this hypocritical, considering the discrimination against the Jewish people? Why or why not?

After meeting the Jewish orphans for the first time, Eva questions if it was “possible to rebuild when you’d been left with nothing” (210). In what way does Eva hope her Book of Lost Names can “rebuild” the lives of these Jewish children?

The relationship between Eva and Rémy, while meaningful, takes a backseat to their undying devotion to their country and the cause. Discuss how both characters choose to sacrifice their personal happiness for others.

The horrific treatment of Jews in German concentration camps is largely out of sight in the novel but never out of mind. Harmel tends to rely on readers’ background knowledge of the Holocaust to make these connections. How do the images of those men and women returning from their imprisonment at the end of the novel give weight to mankind’s capacity for evil?

The minor characters in the novel create an intricate network of support for the main characters. Although the number of pages devoted to them may be few, the impact they have on Eva and who she becomes is immeasurable. Choose three of the minor men and women from the novel and discuss what each person contributes to the formation of Eva’s character.