- Why is there a character in this book named Jonathan Safran Foer? What does the character have in common with the author?
- Did you have a difficult time understanding Alex's writing? Did he become a clearer writer as the novel progressed, or did you just understand him more? Did you find him humorous or irritating?
- Could the story have been told through a more traditional structure (like a first-person or limited third-person perspective)? How would the story have been different if it were told in a different way?
- Can people ever repair past mistakes? Can children fix the mistakes of their parents or grandparents? Should it be their responsibility to do so?
- Does Jonathan have the right to tell his Grandfather's story?
- Who changed the most during the course of the novel? Who stayed the same? In other words, who were the dynamic characters and who were the static ones?
- Were you surprised about Grandfather's revelation? What surprised you most?
- Did you think Jonathan would find Augustine? Was his journey a failure because they (spoiler alert) failed to find her?
- Was "everything" illuminated in the end? What was illuminated? What wasn't? And what does "illuminated" mean in this context? (Does it have more than one meaning?)
- Have you seen the movie? What aspects of the book did the movie leave out? What did it change? Did you agree with the casting choices? What would you have done differently?