Book Club Discussion Guide
About the Book
The Mermaid of Paris
by Cary Fagan
In the spring of 1900, the peaceful life of Henry Church, inventor, amateur
ornithologist, and performer of puppet theatricals for the local children is
undermined by the growing distance of his wife, the beautiful and enigmatic
Margaret, who takes solitary night swims in the river to ease the mysterious pains
in her legs. When Margaret runs off with a Russian performing strongman named
Count Anatole Belinsky, Henry pursues them to Europe, where he takes up a
precarious existence among the underclass and anarchists of Paris. Realistic
and magical, atmospheric and rich in period detail, The Mermaid of Paris is a
compelling story of love, revenge, despair and hope, and the unknowable
mysteries of the human heart.
About the Author
Cary Fagan’s latest children’s novel began with a scribbled note on a torn
envelope. He envisioned a quirky tale about a man who obsessively collects
water samples that have been taken from historic events or natural disasters,
such as the 1998 Montreal ice storm. Once he began writing, Mr. Karp’s Last
Glass came together in a rush, taking only two weeks to complete.
“I have picture books that have taken me two years to finish,” Fagan says. “And
that book, I sat down and it just really flowed. It was one of those exhilarating
writing experiences that you hope to have, that you kind of live for – where it
feels like you’re downhill skiing or something.”
That experience must have been particularly gratifying for the very busy Fagan.
The Toronto author juggles a wide variety of projects, ranging from children’s
picture books and novels to adult novels and short stories. Indeed, this year
alone he will release three children’s books: Mr. Karp’s Last Glass with
Groundwood Books in April; a new picture book, Thing-Thing, in August; and Ten
Lessons for Kaspar Snit, the third volume in a series, in September. (The latter
two titles are with Tundra Books.) Up for next year is an adult novel with
Cormorant Books, his first adult title since The Mermaid of Paris in 2003. And
he’s also working on a collection of short stories that he hopes to release in
2009.
Fagan, 50, says moving back and forth in this way keeps his writing fresh. But he
started off writing fiction for adults. He self-published his first book, Nora by the
Sea, in 1988 and began fielding offers from publishers thereafter. But he always
wanted to write for children as well. “Certainly having children was a huge
impetus to write for kids,” says Fagan, who has two daughters, now 16 and 10. “It
became very starkly clear that there’s wonderful children’s writing out there,
which is just as good and just as moving as any adult fiction.” He began his own
kidlit career with two picture-book riffs on adult stories – Gogol’s Coat in 1998
and The Market Wedding in 2000 – before producing his first original, Daughter
of the Great Zandini, in 2001.
This year’s output will bring Fagan’s total number of children’s titles to 11. All of
those have been with Tundra save Mr. Karp’s Last Glass, for which Fagan
signed on with Groundwood. “I was worried about overloading them,” the author
says of Tundra. “I mean, how much Fagan can one house take?” He adds that
once the book was finished, it seemed like a good fit for Groundwood. “Karp is
very short for a novel and Groundwood sometimes publishes books of this length
and does a beautiful job with them. But it was also just a feeling that the voice,
the oddness of the story, would appeal to the Groundwood people. So I sent it to
them first.” (Fagan also recently signed an agent, Marie Campbell of
Transatlantic Literary Agency, to represent his kids’ books.)
Whatever the publisher, Fagan hopes Karp will offer something to both children
and adult readers. “The voice of Karp isn’t really that different from some of the
adult fiction I’ve written,” he says. Indeed, Fagan adds that in recent years, he’s
noticed the boundaries of his work blurring, with the humour of his children’s
stories and the ambiguity and uncertainty of his adult fiction bleeding into each
other. Working in several modes also affects his approach to storytelling. For
example, Thing-Thing, the story of a rejected gift, was meant to be an adult
novel, but didn’t come together until he saw its potential as a children’s story. “I
think of it all as writing. I don’t really distinguish,” he says, “If I could only do one,
I’d feel a tremendous loss and absence.”
Discussion Questions
1. How did you experience the book? It's not always helpful to talk about
whether or not you liked the book, but rather how you felt as you were reading
it? Were you pulled effortlessly into the book...or did you have difficulty getting
into it? Why? Did you find yourself amused, intrigued, enthralled, disturbed,
fearful, irritated, angered, or impatient?
2. Are the characters convincing-do they come across as believable human
beings with underlying motivations? Are they fully developed as emotionally
complex individuals? Or are they one-dimensional, with little emphasis on
their inner lives?
3. Which characters do you admire or dislike-and why? What are their primary
characteristics; how would you describe them? In what ways do the
characters interact with others-a parent with children; a husband with his wife;
a friend with friend.
4. What motivates the actions of a given character? To what degree does the
character's past play a role in her present actions? Are those actions justified
or ethical?
5. Do any characters grow or change over the course of the novel? Does any
character come to learn something about himself or view the world
differently? If so, what does she learn? Or is the character "static,"
unchanging from beginning to end?
6. What is the central conflict of the plot? Is the conflict internal to the character
(a psychological conflict)? Or is it external, having to do with character vs.
character? Character vs. society? Character vs. nature? (Most novels have a
combination of both internal and external conflict.)
7. Is the novel plot-driven? In other words, does the plot unfold quickly, focusing
more on action than on the inner lives of the characters? Which do you
prefer?
8. Is the plot well-developed? Is it believable...or is it forced? Is it suspenseful or
more contemplative? Does it unfold naturally, or do you feel manipulated
along the way by coincidences, odd plot twists, or cliffhangers?
9. Is the ending satisfying? Predictable or not? Does is wrap up the ends neatly?
Is it too neat, too pat? Does it leave some issues unresolved, questions
unanswered? If you could change the ending, would you...if so, how would
you change it?
10. What central ideas might the author be exploring-the novel's themes?
Consider ideas about the nature of love, the requirements of goodness, the
meaning of justice, the burden of the past...basic human issues that are at
stake in the book.