The Word On The Street Blog

The Word On The Street has selected four great Canadian reads by authors appearing at the 2014 festival as part of our first summer book club.

We’ll be discussing the books each week throughout the summer, and on September 21st, everyone will have the chance to meet the authors in person at Queen’s Park Circle. ‘Tis the season for beach and park reading, so let’s get the conversation started!

If you aren’t an ‘official’ member of the book club, that shouldn’t stop you from joining in with your thoughts in the comments of the blog.

Click on the tabs above to check out the discussion questions our intrepid Book Club Leaders have come up with!

Us Conductors
Sean Michaels

Book Club Leader: Sara Saddington

Sara Saddington is a writer and publishing professional in Toronto. It is her life’s ambition to read all the books, but she will settle for reading many of the best ones. You can find her on Twitter @SaraSaddington

Take it away, Sara!

Section 1 Questions: Chapters 1-4, (page 1-96)

Section 2: Chapter 5-9 (page 97-188)

Section 3: Chapter 10-Part 2 Chapter 4 (page 189-267)

Section 4: the rest (page 268-347)

Part 1:

1. How did you feel after you finished the first chapter? Do you have a clear understanding of Leon and his situation? Do you find the story compelling? Could you picture the theremin? (Bonus question: have you ever seen or played a theremin?)
2. On page 45, Pash tells Leon, “You are more unwitting than you think.” Do you trust Leon as a narrator? Do you like or sympathize with him?  So far, do you enjoy the tone and style of Leon’s voice? Why or why not?
3. Us Conductors walks an interesting line between fact and fiction. How does your understanding of the references the author makes to the composers, inventors, and political figures of the era affect your engagement with the novel? Does knowing that the novel is “inspired by the true life and loves of the famed Russian scientist, inventor and spy” (cover copy) change your experience of the book as work of fiction? (Further, where is the line between fiction and non-fiction? Does defining that line matter?)