CLAIRE FRIEZE
Every story. A different world.
Journeys across borders. Lives overturned by chance. Explore the fiction of Claire Frieze
Reading Guide
Memories of Things to Come
Explore your reading
Use the questions that interest your group. There is no right order or single right answer.
What does home mean to Ami?
Consider how home changes from a physical place into a set of relationships, memories or obligations. Does Ami’s sense of belonging become clearer, or more complicated, as the story progresses?
What happens when memory meets reality?
The Ethiopia Ami remembers and what he encounters on his return are very different. How much of that difference can be attributed to changed circumstances—Ethiopia is suffering from famine and oppression—how much to Ami himself, and how much to memory?
Where do you see courage?
Beyond the dramatic acts, which moments of patience, care or persistence suggest a quieter kind of bravery?
What can a novel add to history?
What does a character’s perspective make visible that a timeline or news report might not? Did the novel make the wider historical events feel more personal?
What holds a community together?
Discuss the relationship between collective survival and individual need. When do those interests support one another, when do they conflict, and can both ever be accommodated?
How does waiting change the journey?
Consider the difference between being on the move and waiting in uncertainty. Which creates the greater strain on the characters, and why?
What stayed with you?
What image, decision or relationship had an impact on you? What will you remember after you close the book?