Some clubs enjoy a structured analysis of a book, while others prefer to chat freestyle. Below are some optional questions (both in plain text and in a downloadable PDF) to help guide discussions of Unpacking for Greece and Repacking for Greece. You are welcome to use as many or as few of these questions as you please.
If scheduling allows, I’m happy to join book club chats via Zoom or similar — you’re welcome to contact me at www.sallyjanesmith.com/contact. If you prefer to chat without the author present, I’d still love to hear about it.
CAUTION: SPOILERS AHEAD
- Have you travelled to Greece? Did anything about the book’s setting feel familiar? Why, or why not?
- What was your favourite passage in the book, and why?
- In Chapter One, Sally described her parents as ‘kind people who tried to lead good lives.’ What did you think of them by the end of the story?
- Sally said that Nelson Mandela’s release rally was ‘both the most wonderful and the most dreadful day of my young life.’ Based on her description, did you think it was more a positive or a negative experience?
- Repacking for Greece travels to Athens, Delphi, Corfu, Kefalonia, Nafplio, Mycenae, Epidavros, Poros, Hydra and Methana, as well as a few side trips. How many of these did you know about before reading Sally’s story?
- What did you think of Sally’s decision to climb around a locked gate in Delphi and then, by contrast, not to walk among the archaeological remains at the Mon Repos estate on Corfu? Would you have made a different decision at either site? Why or why not?
- Were you surprised that Sally wasn’t travelling with her partner, Adam? How would you prefer to travel: solo, in an organised tour group, or with family or friends?
- Had you read any of the books mentioned in Repacking for Greece? What did you think of the literary references in the story? Are there any books you would have added to a Greece-focused reading list?
- The book is dedicated both to Adam and to ‘everyone who showed me kindness in Sri Lanka’. How did you feel about what happened after Sally’s bus accident?
- Sally has strong opinions about respectful travel – and yet she unthinkingly intruded on a Greek Orthodox church service on Kefalonia. Did this affect your view of Sally as a traveller? Have you ever done something on your travels that you later regretted?
- Repacking for Greece describes Sally’s second trip to Greece in less than a year. If you had the same opportunities for travel, would you choose to spend all your time in one country, as Sally did, or would you prefer to explore as many countries as possible?
- A number of legendary characters – including female figures such as Clytemnestra, Helen and Britomartis – are mentioned in the book. Which character from Ancient Greek mythology most appeals to you?
- The Aegina chapter was set six years after the rest of the story, and was written more than five years after this book’s first draft. Did you notice any changes in Sally’s approach to travel or her writing voice?
- Did you learn anything about Greece that surprised you?
- If you could visit just one place described in Repacking for Greece, which would it be and why?
Sally Jane Smith 