The Year of the Flood

Compare The Year of the Flood with David Mitchell’s novel The Bone Clocks. How do the two novels’ depictions of climate change and its potential to fray social fabric differ, and how do they overlap?

What is the purpose of dystopian literature like The Year of the Flood? How does it make us think about today and the consequences of our actions regarding the future of our planet?

Using examples from the novel, explore a dualism between religion and science. How has science become a religion?

“After a while, thought Toby, you wouldn’t just cross the line, you’d forget there were any lines. You’d do whatever it takes” (118). Discuss how constant brutality and violence alter the human perception of good and evil, and how this is manifest by the main characters

Describe the role of women in the society depicted in The Year of the Flood. How does Ren and Toby’s first-person narration allow for a nuanced view of the female experience?

How does Margaret Atwood express the complexity of femininity through the novel’s female characters, particularly Toby, Ren, Amanda?

Although the novel takes place in the visionary future, what parallels do you see between The Year of the Flood and the challenges and problems facing this generation?

Each part of the novel starts with a sermon and a hymn from The God’s Gardeners Oral Hymnbook. Analyze these hymns in regard to the Gardeners’ beliefs. Do the hymns complement or contradict their teachings?