The Celebrants

Content warning: This section of the guide references suicide and drug overdose.

Steven Rowley employs third-person limited perspective, with the narrative voice switching between the primary characters. To what extent does the tone remain consistent despite these changes in perspective? What elements of different characters’ voices change the tone of each part of the novel?

Music appears throughout The Celebrants: The group listens to and argues about musical taste when they’re together, Naomi has career in music, and they listen to the mariachi band in Mexico together. What is the function of music throughout the novel?

Each of the primary characters in The Celebrants demonstrates growth as a character, and the funeral tends to be a catalyzing event for a change or recreation of their identity. How does Rowley represent the development of secondary characters?