What role do elephants play in this novel?

How does poetry and literature at large figure in this novel?

What likenesses do characters see in Hubbard and Paul Christopher? Are there notable contrasts?

How is Yale University and its graduates treated in the novel? How do they view graduates of other schools and the world at large?

How surprising do you find Barney's revelations in the final chapters? Looking back, what hints does he give earlier to his role over the decades?

Do you find David Patchen a sympathetic character? Does he change over the course of the novel or merely characters' perception of him.

How does Patrick Graham epitomize the changes in America in the 1970s?