Consider the moths the narrator witnessed mating at the opening of the novel. What was significant about the moths coming together? How might these moths be seen as a symbol for the duality with which the narrator struggles throughout the novel as a whole?

Discuss the narrator's relationship with his immediate family members. Why do you think his family, aside from his Grandmother Charlotte, are rarely mentioned in the novel? What affect does this absence have on the narrative, particularly when the narrator's sister, present in the first half of the novel, suddenly disappears from the text in the second half?

Discuss the nameless characters in the novel. Why might Andrei Makine have chosen to leave the majority of the characters in the novel nameless? In what situation does the reader finally learn the name of the narrator? What is significant about this moment...