Bring on the tough stuff - there’s not just one right answer.
- Critics agree that Annie John is a text centered on the emotional bonds between mothers and daughters. Do men matter at all in the world of this story?
- What is the pace of this novel? Does it make you speed up or slow down while reading it? How does its rhythm affect its meaning?
- Meticulous detail almost becomes a character in this book. What is the effect of this elaborate detail?
- Are the intense female relationships in this novel examples of lesbianism or just strong homosocial (just a fancy word for non-sexual same-sex relationship) interactions? What else could they be?
- Could Annie John have been written in the third person? How would this change its tone?
- Is Jamaica Kincaid an Afro-Caribbean woman author or just an author? What difference does it make?
- Would you want to be Annie's friend? Is she a likable character?
- Jamaica Kincaid is known for her simple language. Try rewriting the first three paragraphs using the most ornate (fancy) language you can. How does changing the style affect the content?
- Annie John first appeared in The New Yorker in installments. Minor changes were made before its publication in novel form. How does this impact the storyline?
- What is the effect of the child protagonist? Do you trust Annie John's telling of the story? In other words, is Annie John a reliable narrator?
- Is Annie John a political book?
- What's more important—nature or nurture—in this text?