Finished With October's Book Club Pick? It's Time To Discuss!
Oxygen Book Club's October book, "Velvet Was The Night," is a simmering noir set in 1970s Mexico City.
We couldn't put down "Velvet Was The Night," the latest entry in Oxygen Book Club, which highlights books in the true crime sphere each month and features exclusive interviews, guided discussions, and more. And now that we're finished, we just want to keep talking about it!
In October, Oxygen Book Club read "Velvet Was The Night" by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. Set in the 1970s in Mexico City, the noir novel follows two very different people on the hunt for Leonora, a beautiful and glamorous art student who has gone missing. For Maite, a secretary who spends most of her time in daydreams and romance novels, Leonora was a neighbor she wants to find. For Elvis, an enforcer for the Mexican government, Leonora is a political activist with potentially damaging photographs that he's been tasked to find,
So, once you've finished reading the book yourself, consider examining these discussion questions with your friends:
1. What were your initial impressions of Maite and Elvis as characters? Did those impressions change as the novel went on?
2. What's the importance of the romance novels and comic books Maite consumes? Do you see their influence on the way she examines the world?
3. Did you know much about noir before you picked up this book? How would you define noir by this novel?
4. Similarly, did you know much about the political situation in 1970s Mexico City? Were you surprised by any of the events that did happen in real life, and do you plan on learning more about this time period?
5. Why do you think Maite really steals things from her jobs pet-sitting?
6. What was the most shocking part of the book for you?
7. Did the multiple narrators work for you? Why or why not?
8. What do you think was actually in the photos? Did the choice not to reveal their exact contents add to the story, or subtract from it?
9. Were you surprised by the reveal of Elvis' boss? How do you think his identity impacts what we know about Leonora?
10. Did the ending work for you? What do you think happens next?
And if you have more thoughts let us know! Use the hashtag #oxygenbookclub to keep the discussion going on social media.