Thanks to Satia for finding this discussion guide online! (view spoiler)[ Choke Discussion Guide Based on the Guide developed by PopUK Book Club (http://uk.popsugar.com/1889003) Introduction Victor Mancini, a medical-school dropout, is an antihero for our deranged times. Needing to pay elder care for his mother, Victor has devised an ingenious scam: he pretends to choke on pieces of food while dining in upscale restaurants. He then allows himself to be “saved” by fellow patrons who, feeling responsible for Victor’s life, go on to send checks to support him. When he’s not pulling this stunt, Victor cruises sexual addiction recovery workshops for action, visits his addled mom, and spends his days working at a colonial theme park. Discussion Questions 1. What do you think about the device of Victor writing about himself as a child in the third- person? And his use of "you" in addressing the reader? Do you feel alienated, engaged, uncomfortable? 2. Choke is a very physical book: what do you make of the graphic descriptions (of sex, bodily functions, his mother's illness)? 3. A lot of Victor's time is spent pretending to be someone else: in Colonial Dunsboro and at his mother's hospital. What are your thoughts about this aspect of the novel? 4. In Chapter 7, Victor explains some of the motives behind his choking routine: to put adventure in people's lives, create heroes, put people to the test, make money, and be adored. Do you find any of these reasons more convincing than the others? Do you think he is right or wrong in doing this? 5. What are your thoughts on Denny's rock collecting? 6. Victor says addictions enable us to escape our knowledge, and he claims being an addict is a pro-active way of knowing how you'll die. How do you feel about the way addiction is represented in the novel? 7. The importance of creation and invention become more and more explicit as the novel moves towards its ending, with Ida Mancini regretting her destructive past. What forms do creation and invention take? 8. Victor says he wants to be needed. How does this affect your reading of his addiction, and his choking routine, and his friendship with Denny? 9. The twist involving Paige Marshall was a surprise. Did the twist work for you? How does her delusion relate to the other forms of invention in the book?
(view spoiler)[
Choke Discussion Guide Based on the Guide developed by PopUK Book Club (http://uk.popsugar.com/1889003)
Introduction
Victor Mancini, a medical-school dropout, is an antihero for our deranged times. Needing to pay elder care for his mother, Victor has devised an ingenious scam: he pretends to choke on pieces of food while dining in upscale restaurants. He then allows himself to be “saved” by fellow patrons who, feeling responsible for Victor’s life, go on to send checks to support him. When he’s not pulling this stunt, Victor cruises sexual addiction recovery workshops for action, visits his addled mom, and spends his days working at a colonial theme park.
Discussion Questions
1. What do you think about the device of Victor writing about himself as a child in the third- person? And his use of "you" in addressing the reader? Do you feel alienated, engaged, uncomfortable?
2. Choke is a very physical book: what do you make of the graphic descriptions (of sex, bodily functions, his mother's illness)?
3. A lot of Victor's time is spent pretending to be someone else: in Colonial Dunsboro and at his mother's hospital. What are your thoughts about this aspect of the novel?
4. In Chapter 7, Victor explains some of the motives behind his choking routine: to put adventure in people's lives, create heroes, put people to the test, make money, and be adored. Do you find any of these reasons more convincing than the others? Do you think he is right or wrong in doing this?
5. What are your thoughts on Denny's rock collecting?
6. Victor says addictions enable us to escape our knowledge, and he claims being an addict is a pro-active way of knowing how you'll die. How do you feel about the way addiction is represented in the novel?
7. The importance of creation and invention become more and more explicit as the novel moves towards its ending, with Ida Mancini regretting her destructive past. What forms do creation and invention take?
8. Victor says he wants to be needed. How does this affect your reading of his addiction, and his choking routine, and his friendship with Denny?
9. The twist involving Paige Marshall was a surprise. Did the twist work for you? How does her delusion relate to the other forms of invention in the book?
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