Elsewhere

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Your reflections on the novel by Gabrielle Zevin. . .
elsewhere.jpg


Some quotes (and optional discussion questions) from the novel to think about. . . .
How would you interpret the quote?How does it relate to the overall plot of the story?How does it relate to you?Into which theme do these quotes place Elsewhere? Why?
  • "In the end, what does it all mean anyway? And what does it matter? Is a person just a pile of junk?" (page 4)
    • How do we define ourselves?

  • "On the way over, Lucy (the dog) can smell the mother's sadness all around them. She tries to determine what the smell reminds her of. Is it rain? Parsley? Bourbon? Old books? Wool socks? Bananas, Lucy decides." (page 5)
    • What does sadness smell like to you?

  • "Dying seems to entail a great deal more work than Liz initially thought. In a way, dying isn't that different from school." (page 74)

  • "An avocation is something a person does to make his or her soul complete." (page 74)
    • What would your avocation be?

  • "Liz thinks it might be nice to write a postcard to someone who would actually have a chance of receiving it." But they never do . . . (page 104)
    • Who would you write to if the recipient would NEVER receive it (celebrities not included!)? Why? What would it say?

  • "I think of it like a tree, because every tree is really two trees. There's the tree with the branches that everyone sees, and then there's the upside-down root tree, growing the opposite way. So Earth is the the branches, growing up to the sky, and Elsewhere is the roots, growing down in the opposite but perfect symmetry. The branches don't think much about the roots, and maybe the roots don't think much about the branches, but all the time, they're connected by the trunk, you know? Even though it seems far from the roots to the branches, it isn't." (page 109)

  • "Liz's voice trails off. She feels empty. Anger and revenge gave her heft. WIthout her old friends to prop her up, she's only left with a single question: what now?" (page 124)
    • What is more powerful or healing: revenge or forgiveness? Why?

  • " 'We never know what will happen,' Betty says, ' but I believe good things happen every day. I believe good things happen even when bad things happen. And I believe on a happy day like today, we can still feel a little sad. And that's life, isn't it?' " (page 273)

  • "Why do they keep their eyes closed? she wonders. Don't they know there's so much to see?" (page 274)

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