The World That We Knew

The novel’s paperback edition has an interview with Alice Hoffman in which she cites mother superior (Sister Marie) as the character that moved her the most. Write a character study of this figure (Chapter 18) as a heroic presence determined to do right in a world of evil.

In the book’s title, who is the “we” and what is the “world”? Does the title express regret? Nostalgia? Or does it imply that the work is a commentary on the Nazi era that defined a generation of Jewish faithful?

Investigate the psychology and troubling history of anti-Semitism. In what way does the novel address Hoffman’s contemporary era?

Research the use of the magic golem in Jewish folktales and contemporary Jewish fiction. In this story, why is the golem’s gender important?

Define the novel’s sense of hope in a dark time. Research the formidable work of the French Resistance. Using either Lea or Ettie, explore the psychology of not giving up, of resisting despair.

To what extent does the novel use traditional fairy-tale elements? Focus on how the heron enhances or distracts from the horrors of the Nazi Final Solution.

Compare and contrast Marianne and Victor with Julien and Lea. The couples have markedly different paths to love. What elements of love do they share? How does the novel define love? Is love enough to counter hate?

Using Ava’s evolution into a human with emotions and free will, define how the novel uses the idea of a “soul.” The Gestapo are monsters without soul, but so is Ava until her closing acts of sacrifice and love. How do you view Ava’s transformation in the last paragraphs? What does it say about a soul?