Hachette Livre

Hachette Reading Group Guides

Welcome to our Reading Group guide for The Mathematics of Love by Emma Darwin. We invite you to consider and discuss the following questions when reading this book:

  1. Sexual morality is a key theme in The Mathematics of Love. Discuss morality in the context of the relationships between Anna/Theo, Eva/Theo, Anna/Eva, Stephen/Catalina and Stephen/Lucy.
  2. How does war change the characters in The Mathematics of Love?
  3. ‘I was the plain, pale nothing, pressed into a thin strip between their lives. And it wasn’t enough for me. I knew that now.’ (p. 391) Discuss how Anna changes during the course of this novel.
  4. Discuss the role of art, photography and voyeurism within The Mathematics of Love.
  5. How do memories affect the characters within this novel? What made Stephen able to move on from painful memories and Belle unable to do so?
    6. How do the two ‘lost boys’ work within the story?
  6. 'I’ve never been bothered about relations and things’ (p. 401) Discuss the role of family within The Mathematics of Love.
  7. What did you think of the ending? Would you have liked it to end differently?
  8. What other books would you compare this to? What books would you recommend to other readers who have enjoyed this book?

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