Discussion Questions
Use these questions to explore the themes of Girls Fall Down
- Girls Fall Down is unquestionably set in Toronto, yet Toronto is depicted as being a very different place for different people. How does the author achieve this and how does it add to the success of the novel?
- It is evident early on that while the novel intimately explores Toronto both as an urban setting and a social body, this is not a geographical love letter or a novel about “Toronto the Good”. In what ways does the author juxtapose the gritty aspects of the city and its people with its more redeeming attributes?
- The very first line of the book begins with “The city is a winter city, at its heart” and the author quickly links winter to hardship, and interestingly, to the idea of authenticity: “In the winter, when it is raw and grey and dim, it is itself most truly.” In what ways is the value of authenticity expressed in the novel? Are there particular symbols of authenticity or situations where it is questioned?
- Toronto's transit system figures prominently in Girls Fall Down and the author has been quoted as saying that the TTC is Toronto's circulatory system, moving its citizens from place to place. Helwig originally set out to make Toronto 'a character' in this book – do you think she was successful and if so, how has she done this and how did the TTC references contribute?
- One theme of the book is disintegration – of one’s physical self, as in Alex’s diabetes and his failing eyesight – and of society at large. Where is this played out and how?
- Many of the characters have an ingrained sense of anxiety – such that a lack of worry can be considered “extremely disturbing”. What are some of the situations that create subtle, instead of overt, tension? In what ways can the absence of anxiety be more problematic?
- One of the book’s sections is called Things that Girls Do. How do the high school girls who open the novel move the story forward? What is the author suggesting about girls and cliques, about the cruelty of girls, and about the connection between girls and mass hysteria?
- Alex clearly has a close relationship with Queen Jane, his grey cat. He is also a vegetarian and is obviously conflicted about his employer’s use of pigs for experimentation. How does Alex’s empathy for animals play out in the book? Where else in the book do animals play a role or bring messages without a voice?
- While there is no real catharsis, there are moments of redemption and clarity in the novel. Why do you think the author chose this particular way to frame the story? Would the novel have benefitted from a different type of conclusion?
