The Bird Hotel

Research the legends of La Llorona and describe how this myth becomes a metaphor in the novel. Who, besides, Irene, are the other weeping women? How does this image help to describe or convey their loss and grief? How do you interpret the version of the story that makes La Llorona responsible for the death of her children?

Maynard discusses in her Acknowledgements (page 402) that it was difficult to find a publisher for this novel because of concerns that she, a white North American, might not accurately or sensitively portray an Indigenous culture based in what is now Central America. Discuss how you see the villagers of La Esperanza and their Mayan culture being represented in the book, and whether Maynard succeeded in a sensitive portrayal. You may wish to further consider what Maynard says about the necessity for fiction writers to consider lives and experiences not their own. What is your response to her argument?

Examine the theme of motherhood, parenting, and/or the many lost children of the novel. What does the novel convey about the bonds of family, or the theme of loss, with so many abandonments, intentional or otherwise?