Five Ferries - Book Club Questions
I hope that these questions help to start fruitful conversation and would love to hear other questions you talk about (or any other comments). You can reach the author at fiveferriesnovel@gmail.com. Thanks
In the twentieth century, war became increasingly mechanized and destructive and caused upheavals in society, and with it the literature of adventure. The hero of The Sun Also Rises travels from Paris to Spain, numbed by the experience of World War I, and Hemingway stripped away the pretense of conventional narrative style to express his characters’ cynicism about the cause of and justification for the “war to end all wars.” On the Road’s protagonist travels across North America following World War II, searching for self-knowledge and experience in a world and language of jazz in what Kerouac called the “beat generation.” Discuss how the Stephen Kylemore in Five Ferries leaves behind the tumult of the 1960s and the aftermath of the Vietnam War seeking freedom and a broader view of the world, in language infused with the music and literature of his time.
Stephen Kylemore is obsessed with storytelling and with literature in particular. In the course of the novel, he reads The Nick Adams Stories, The Innocents Abroad, Don Quixote, Steppenwolf, The Magus, The Ambassadors, Madam Bovary, The Trial, Anna Karenina, On the Road, Tom Jones, and Ulysses, and thinks how these stories reflect his own experiences. How do you see any of these novels as relevant to Stephen’s journey?
Stephen has a complex relationship with the United States torn apart by the Vietnam War. How does this relationship reflect the times, and how might a modern protagonist’s view of war and patriotism differ from Stephen’s based ?
How does Stephen’s relationship with his father reflect the 60s and 70s and his own growth?
What part does music play in Five Ferries, and does this reflect the distinctive role of music in the generational divide of the 60s and 70s?
How does Stephen grow in the course of this trip, mastering travel with no money, quickly judging situations and acquaintances, and coming to grips with his world?
How would you classify the genre of Five Ferries? Is it a travel adventure, a saga about coming of age and family relationships, or a love story? How do you think each of these genres manifests itself in the book?
Did Five Ferries change your perception of Europe? Did it make you curious to visit any place in particular? How do you think Europe has changed since 1978?
In Chapter V (“Windmills”) Stephen reads a quote from Don Quixote in which the hero apologizes for interrupting a goatherd’s story to praise the story and the charm of the storytelling. “May the Lord’s grace never fail me,” the goatherd replies. “That is all that matters.” In Chapter XX (“Wandering Rocks”), Seamus quotes E.M. Forster in minimizing the importance of the story in a book, calling it “the only literary tool for tyrants and savages.” Is the basic story of Five Ferries that of a young man’s trip through Europe, or his coming of age, or his coming to grips with his family and his girlfriend, and is this what is important about the book?
Did any of the chapter titles resonate with you? Did they add or detract from the novel?