What Strange Paradise

How do the islanders react to the recent increase in undocumented migrants? What socioeconomic factors influence their attitudes and behaviors? Consider characters such as Colonel Kethros, Marianne Hermes, and Madame El Ward.

How does the ending of the novel impact the meaning of the “After” chapters? What does this suggest about the relationship (both literal and figurative) between migration and death?

Sunhead swifts are migratory birds that visit Kos during the springtime. Examine these birds as a symbol: What do they represent? How does the strange, reptilian creature that preys on the birds fit with your interpretation?

Examine Vänna as a character. How does her relationship with her mother impact her desire to help Amir? Why does she take such a personal interest in Amir’s well-being?

Nicholas shows a moment of compassion when he lets Amir and Vänna go. Examine the role of the young soldiers in the novel. What do their actions imply about the political climate of their country? How do they differ from Kethros’s actions and expectations?

Both Amir and Colonel Kethros exhibit signs of posttraumatic stress disorder. What are the causes of each character’s PTSD? How does this unaddressed trauma shape the way they interact with their environment and their society?

El Akkad described What Strange Paradise as an adaptation and reappropriation of the Peter Pan story. What elements of the novel correspond to Peter Pan? What is the overall effect of using a popular Western story as the framework for a novel about migration and the humanitarian crisis following conflicts such as the Syrian Civil War?

Examine the motivations of the characters aboard the Calypso (Walid, Teddy, Maher, Kamal, Umm Ibrahim, etc.). What do these characters reveal about the modern migration crisis? What obstacles do they individually and collectively face? Finally, what role does the smuggler, Mohamed, play in this group’s dynamics?