- The book opens with a soldier’s letter to the marketing department of Twentieth Century-Fox. In it he asks that whoever receives his letter tell Marilyn Monroe that he and his fellow soldiers are “all rooting for her to be happy.” Why do you think a soldier facing hardships of his own would find such a connection to Marilyn and are about her happiness?
- Alice mentions that she is often confused for a prostitute. What about her seems different from other “upstanding” women of her time? How does that differ from the standards women are held to today?
- Though women were not on the front lines, of the Korean War how did the tragedy of war affect them? How are their experiences different from that of men?
- How does Alice process the trauma she faced in the war? Or rather, how does she avoid processing her experiences?
- What does art represent for Alice? Why is it something she avoids in her life after the war?
- Were you surprised by the way Marilyn is presented in this book? Why or why not?
- Why do you think Marilyn and Alice find a connection with each other? What do they have in common? How are they different, aside from their nationalities?
- Alice believes she will have nothing in common with Marilyn. Do you think that even people with the most different of lives can find common ground?
- Discuss the theme of guilt in this book. How does Alice’s guilt affect her life? How does it impact her decisions?
- Alice is surviving in Seoul, but she is not happy. What has changed by the end of the novel that transforms her from simply surviving to living?
