BOOK CLUB QUESTIONS
- Nan went into programming as a job to prove that she was capable, especially after the comments from her family. Do you think she regretted her decision? Discuss.
- It was the 1980’s and Nan the only woman in her class as well as being one of the oldest students. What impact do you think this had on her learning? Do you believe that it was a sign of the times or is it still relevant today?
- What changes take place in the relationship between Nan and Heather? Do you think that learning the computer had a positive or negative effect on Heather? Why do you think that Nan believed that her sister Heather was her responsibility?
- When Nan started work as a programmer, she was given the assignment to fix/work out what was wrong with someone else’s program. Was this gender bias? Discuss.
- How appropriate is Nan’s ‘culture slug’ as a depiction of the way culture contains and transforms us? To what extent is it possible to separate yourself from prevailing culture? Why might you want to?
- What are the themes of Foating? Do you feel they were developed sufficiently? Which engaged you most fully? Why?
- Were there any scenes or passages of text that stood out for you? What attracted you to them and what is their significance within the overall story?
- How did the opinions expressed by Nan’s elderly learners resonate with you? Did you feel they tend to reflect a naive grasp of decline,or the reflexive insight of lived experience? What did their exchanges contribute to the narrative?
- How realistically do you feel the characters in Floating are portrayed? Do they fit cultural stereotypes, archetypes, are they uniquely individual, or a mixed bag? Do people in real life tend to type themselves according to roles, much as an author will shape characters to fit their role in story?
- Comment on the ending of the story. Was it as you expected? Did you find it suitable? How do you imagine Nan’s new venture might play out?