All the Broken Things Readers Guide

1. How does the books tender opening scene, in which Bo lets his ice cream drip through his toes as
Bear nuzzles and licks at them, set the tone for the novel? What do we learn right off the bat about Bo
and Bears unlikely relationship?
2. It often seems that Bo is only able to make sense of his life through stories, as when he reframes the
familys journey to Canada as a heroic epic and Oranges origin story as a fairy tale. At one point
Kuitenbrouwer writes that Bo is a boy made up in the stories of others (p. 92). What is it about the
power of stories that holds Bo in such thrall?
3. The enduring human fascination with bears both as real beasts and as mythical figures seems to
loom especially large in the Canadian cultural consciousness. What is it about bears that so captivates
our interest, and how does Kuitenbrouwer explore these themes through Bos relationship with his cub?
4. Although Oranges deformity is the result of a very real historical atrocity, it also fits into a larger
cultural narrative of monstrousness that stretches from the hybrid beasts of Greek mythology to the
carnival attractions of Maxs sideshow. What does this prolonged fascination with monstrousness tell us
about human nature, and how do these ideas play out in the character of Orange?
5. Both Bo and Orange struggle to be truly seen: Orange is kept hidden, the familys secret shame, and
even when she is seen, people have a hard time looking beyond her grotesque appearance. Bo feels that
except when he is fighting, he is invisible. What does it mean to be truly seen, and do Bo and Orange
ever accomplish this?
6. Although everything that happens in the novel is real, the narrative seems to veer between
everyday experiences and magical, almost fantastical scenes. What is the effect of this slippage between
the two different worlds of the novel?
7. The novels title is echoed in a poignant passage mid-way through the novel: He wasnt ashamed of
Rose. It was something deeper. It was the shame Teacher conveyed, by trying to fix things. He wanted to
shout that these things were just broken. He wanted her to understand the pride of broken things (p.
161). What does it mean to be broken, and what is it that Teacher fails to grasp?
8. When Bos class studies the Sir Orfeo story, Teacher explains to the students that the otherworld is
about thresholds something about doorways, and magic, Bo tells his mother (p. 166). How do
doorways and other thresholds function as symbols throughout the novel?
9. After Bo loses his father on the journey to Canada, he is left without any real male influence in his life,
a difficult thing for a boy on the verge of manhood. How do the various men Bo encounters Gerry,
Max, and Soldier Man, for instance help him to navigate his complicated ideas around masculinity?
10. The scene in which Bo aggressively takes photos of Orange is jarring and difficult to read, especially
because we have come to see how protective Bo normally is of his sister. What do you think is going on
in Bos head when he takes the photos?
11. When Bo flees to High Park after his mothers disappearance, the one thing he takes from his home
is a square of wallpaper he cuts from Oranges room, its mythological scenes of jousting knights and
centaurs interspersed with Bos hand-drawn additions, a soldier pointing his pistol at another man
whose hands were held up in surrender, and below that a great toothy fish coming to swallow it all (p.
206). Why does he choose to take this? What does it mean to him?
12. How does the setting of the carnival which Kuitenbrouwer describes in exquisite detail, skillfully
evoking its sights, sounds, and smells become a metaphor for the books themes of spectacle and
otherness?
13. Why does Bo feel that his carnival bouts are more real...than anything really real (p. 122)?
14. Some of the tension in the book comes from the shifting boundaries of good and evil, and the fact
that the characters are often presented in an ambiguous light. Which characters, if any, did you feel
conflicted about, and what conclusions did you reach by the books end?
15. Kuitenbrouwers prose is evocative and visceral, engaging all of the readers senses at once. The
sense of smell, in particular, factors heavily into the novel, most notably with Bears powerful, animal
stench, to which Bo finds himself strangely drawn. What are some other examples of Kuitenbrouwer
using scent to evoke feeling, and how did they affect your reading experience?
16. When asked in a Vancouver Sun book club chat why she used the Middle English romance Sir Orfeo
rather than the original Greek story of Orpheus, Kuitenbrouwer said, I wanted to create a kind of code
in the novel that would suggest fantasy rather than dark Greek mythologies, but I also liked [to point to]
very early storytelling that story repeats, like trauma. What does the book teach us about the link
between story and trauma?
17. Kuitenbrouwer explores ideas around language and communication, suggesting that there are many
different ways we connect with others and that even with a common language, communication is not
always easy or even possible. How do Bos interactions with his mother, Orange, and Bear, present
different models of communication?
18. Does this final scene of the book feel triumphant? What do you think the future holds for Bo and
Orange?