###General ideas * The immigrant experience: What defines the immigrant experience and how does this idea weave throughout the stories? * Isolation: How does isolation play a role in the psyche of these characters? How does their personal/cultural isolation affect their interpersonal relationships? * Brief encounters: What power does people coming and going in our lives have on our sense of identity? * Interpreter of maladies: Figuratively, what do you think it mean to be an interpreter of maladies?

###Reading guide A Temporary Matter
The doctor suggests to Shukumar that holding the baby might help with the grieving process, to which he complies, yet he promises himself that he will never tell Shoba, “because he still loved her then, and it was the one thing in her life that she had wanted to be a surprise.” Do you agree with his justification? Why or why not?

When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine
Discuss the juxtaposition of Lilia’s childhood in America and the political turmoil on the other side of the world. What does Lilia learn about the difference between experiencing events personally and reading recorded history?

Interpreter of Maladies
Consider the implications of Mr. Kapasi’s role as an interpreter. What is the meaning of his response to Mrs. Das: “Is it really pain you feel, or is it guilt?”

A Real Durwan
How does the changing dynamic between Boori Ma and the residents reflect the broader impacts of wealth on society?

Sexy
Why do you think Dev and Miranda are drawn to each other? What does Rohin help Miranda realize?

Mrs. Sen’s
What does Mrs. Sen mean when, looking at the traffic that makes “her English falter,” she says to Eliot, “Everyone, this people, too much in their world”? What circumstances of life in both America and India account for people being “too much in their world”? (Houghton Mifflin website)

This Blessed House
Describe how Sanjeev’s and Twinkle’s views on the Christian paraphernalia inform their characters. How does their dynamic shift from when they are alone to when they are hosting a dinner party? What does Sanjeev’s reaction to the silver bust suggest about their relationship?

The Treatment of Bibi Haldar
How does society respond to Bibi’s condition in this story? How is Bibi affected by societal expectations? Discuss the extent of her apparent recovery.

The Third and Final Continent
What is different about the narration of this story? How is this significant?