Women Talking

Content Warning: This section of the guide contains discussion of sexual violence, rape, substance use, physical abuse, emotional abuse, and gender discrimination.

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. What emotions and thoughts emerged for you while reading this novel about women responding to systematic abuse?

2. This novel is inspired by real events in a Bolivian Mennonite colony where women were drugged and raped. In what ways does Toews’s fictionalization compare to novels that explore similar themes, such as Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale?

3. The story unfolds through August’s meeting minutes rather than traditional narration. Did this epistolary format add to or detract from your reading experience?

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

1. When have you faced a decision between staying in a difficult but familiar situation or venturing into unknown territory? How did you navigate the situation?

2. “All we women have are our dreams—so of course we are dreamers” (55), says Ona. What dreams have sustained you during challenging times?

3. The women contemplate whether forced forgiveness is genuine forgiveness. What shapes your own understanding of what true forgiveness means and requires?