Evil Eye: A Novel

At one point, Yara describes herself as an unreliable narrator of her own life. What are the places in the novel where Yara’s perceptions may be out of step with reality, and how does the writing convey this disconnection? Use specific examples in your answer.

How does Yara’s personal and professional use of social media affect her sense of herself? What motivates her to post images online? Consider specific moments in the text in your answer.

How does the dynamic between Yara and Fadi reinforce or complicate the broader themes in the novel?

Images of fortunetelling and references to superstition pervade the text, especially in the sections from Yara’s journal. How do those images fit into Yara’s struggles with her “modern” identity? How do they help her understand her family’s past?

Discuss the symbolism of the evil eye. What does it represent? How does the way that it’s depicted change throughout the course of the novel, and how does that evolution help to elucidate the novel’s key themes?

How is food used as a motif? What does it signify, and how does it speak to Yara’s and Silas’s characterization? Why do these two individuals bond so tightly over their shared love of cooking, even across different culinary traditions?

The death of Yara’s mother is not explicitly discussed until relatively late in the novel, revealing that the “conversations” that Yara has with her mother in the early chapters are taking place in her mind rather than real life. How does this affect Yara’s characterization overall? How does this information speak to the broader themes of generational trauma?

How does Yara’s final journal entry bring closure to the novel and to her relationship with her mother?