The Book of Strange New Things, by Michel Faber

REVIEW: I am not sure what to think about this book, especially the religious emphasis.  I wanted to keep reading and I wanted to know what would happen, but sometimes I skimmed in order to keep moving along.  The end left me wanting to know what happens next to everyone.  The author crafted the ending he wanted, but I wanted another chapter or two!  Also, my Christian beliefs played a large part in my understanding and reading experience.  I wonder how a non-Christian would experience the book.  Would they understand the biblical references, but also how important would that be to the enjoyment of the book?  Given my questions, this would be a great book for a discussion!  In the end, I feel this was a very intriguing book, it kept my interest and provided hours of enjoyment.  I received a free copy of this book in exchange for this review.       

Characters
Home	Oasis
Peter Bea Joshua (cat)   Mirah – Muslim woman – victim of domestic violence – friend of Bea	Peter Tuska – pilot Billy Graham – BG – engineer Arthur Severin – engineer – diabetic – died while at Oasis Moro – engineering technologist and cook Werner Frank Tartaglione – linguist – disappeared Alex Grainger – pharmacist – driver Marty Kurtzberg – Prior Baptist missionary  – disappeared   Oasans Jesus Lover One, etc.

For Discussion:

NOTE: All page numbers refer to the hardback edition.

1. Why did Bea get disqualified for the trip but Peter did not?
2. Consider when Peter met the Oasans for the first time.  When he looked at one of their faces, he "couldn't decide it on its own terms; he could only compare it to something he knew" (page 102).  Can you imagine being in a similar situation in which you had no frame of reference?  How do you think you would react?
3. As you were reading, how did you handle the letters 't,' 's' and 'ch' when the Oasans spoke?  Did that increase your understanding of how a child struggles when they are learning letter sounds? 
4. Peter did not like how the Oasans had to struggle when saying the word "church" so he tried to get them to say "our haven" instead.  How much do names matter?  How do you feel when someone mispronounces your name?
5. Discuss what it means to be happy.  On pages 174-175 Peter was thinking about situations when people seemed happy but were not and also when they said they were truly happy in difficult situations.  For example, on the day when Peter proposed to Bea, everything went wrong and yet Bea said it was the happiest day of her life.
6. What did you think of Peter as a pastor and missionary?  Consider his eulogy at Severin's funeral and his decision to live among the Oasans instead of living in his car like Kurtzburg.
7. When Peter learned that Bea was pregnant, why did he feel so little emotion?
8. What do you think was happening to Peter and the other inhabitants of Oasis?
9. What was happening back on earth and why?
10. Do you think a Christian and non-Christian will read this book differently? If so, how?
11. Did you like the ending?
12. Discuss your reading experience in general.  Did you like the book?  Were you able to relate to the characters?  What questions did you have while reading?

*****

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