5. To what degree do you think Strauss’s memories were shaped by his age? How reliable is memory after almost two decades?
6. A number of reviewers of this book wrote that, if anything, Strauss was too hard on himself in this memoir. He was found blameless, yet he spent years feeling terrible about the accident. Is that a necessary moral stance, or could he have let himself off the hook a little more?
7. The Washington Post wrote that Half a Life has a universal appeal, calling it a “penetrating, thought-provoking examination of the human mind.” Do you think it raises larger issues beyond the immediate story of the car crash? If so, what are they?
8. Strauss’s parents are quite present in the early part of the book, less so as the story progresses. Is this merely a function of the narrator growing older? How would you act differently if it had been your child driving that car on that fateful day?
9. The accident resulted in a lawsuit. Do you think there is some peace of mind to be gained from litigation? Is it a way for us to try to feel better about something awful?
10. Define the relationship between Strauss and his wife, Susannah. How does she differ from the people he’d previously told about the crash?
11. Consider Strauss’s choice of career. He writes that, if not for the accident, he may not have become a writer. Does this seem true? Can we be shaped positively by terrible events? If so, how do we ensure that we are?
12. Strauss writes: “There are different brands of ignorance: the static of perplexity, the spun silk of denial.” What does this mean?
13. Strauss writes that there was no real epiphanic moment for him, no instant he can point to and say: That was when I began to feel better. And yet he seems to have learned a lesson from this event, and by the end of the book he is a changed man. What did he learn?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
DARIN STRAUSS is the best-selling author of three previous books. The recipient of a Guggenheim in fiction writing and numerous other awards, Strauss has seen his work translated into fourteen languages, and published in more than twenty countries. He is a Clinical Associate Professor of Writing at New York University, and he lives with his wife and children in Brooklyn.
Darin Strauss is available for select readings and lectures. To inquire about a possible appearance, please contact the Random House Speakers Bureau at rhspeakers@randomhouse.com.