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Posted on 28th August, 2025 in

Book Group Questions for A House Called Askival

Over the years since A House Called Askival was first published, in 2014, I have heard from so many people about the deep conversations it opened up for them, whether in a book group, among friends or within their family. A set of questions from me is not needed to spark these discussions. But, sometimes, they open up new thinking and deeper responses. Here are just some that you might like to chew over with your group. Pick any that interest you and certainly don’t treat them like English homework! If you have ideas for more questions, do send them to me.

1. What was most powerful for you about this book?
2. Which character did you feel closest to and why? Did this change at all?
3. What did you learn about India that was new for you?
4. What does fiction offer in the telling of history that non-fiction does not?
5. How does the novel explore the complexities of identity, home and belonging?
6. What are the challenges in portraying such an international cast emerging from different backgrounds, beliefs and ways of life? How effectively did you feel the characters were created?
7. How was a sense of place evoked in the novel and which scenes or descriptions were most powerful for you?
8. Askival is a ruin with a mixed history. What is the significance of the house to the whole story?
9. A cookbook is an important thread in the story, based on an actual one: The Landour Community Centre Cookbook. What is it’s role in A House Called Askival?
10. The Oaklands production of The Gospel of Jyoti is a story within the story. Why did the author include it and what is explored through it?
11. Why do you think art-making is important to the novel: Iqbal’s singing, Kashi’s painting, Ruth’s dancing?
12. Names are important in the novel: the One Hundred Names of God, The Holy Name, The Beautiful Names, The Beloved Name. Why?
13. What did you feel were the strongest themes of the novel? How were these drawn out?
14. How did the structure work for you? Why do you think the author chose shifting time-frames and points of view?
15. The novel shifts pace and tone, juxtaposing hard-hitting passages with humour, intense emotion with moments of tenderness and calm. How effective was this for you?
16. Much of the action is set within the sub-cultures of the mission community and the international boarding school, Oaklands. How were the gifts and the failings of these communities explored?
17. The novel explores religious conflict on multiple levels, from the larger geo-political and cultural spheres, to philosophical tensions, to the clashes within communities and families, to the internal struggles of each individual. What questions and reflections did this open up for you?
18. The story spans over 70 years from the Independence and Partition of India and Pakistan to the anti-Sikh riots of 1984 and the ongoing tensions of its current timeframe (2008). There is also rebellion and breakaway within families. How does the book explore ideas of freedom?
19. What did you feel about the ending?

You might also like to look at the Reviews & Features about A House Called Askival. Remember that you can always pick up the ebook, audiobook and personally signed copies from my shop.

If your group would welcome the author Zooming in for a bit to say hello, get in touch and I’ll come if I can. In any event, do send me a photo of your group holding up copies! And any sharing of photos on line, reviews and recommendations are hugely appreciated. Thank you!