- We Meet Apart plays with the idea that there is another world alongside our own and, in the words of Haruki Murakami, “sometimes we get a glimpse of it, just by chance.” Have you ever had a glimpse of something you could not explain, such as a ghost or a baffling coincidence? Do you believe in an afterlife? How do you imagine it?
- Both sisters, Gaby and Sabine, are searching for a safe place to live and people they can trust. One of the characters who straddles both of their worlds is German officer Dieter Ott. How does Dieter represent danger to Gaby, and safety to Sabine? How do Dieter’s different “pasts”—one in which he was abused by his father, and one in which escapes that abuse—inform who he is now? Do you believe Dieter’s core character is different in the two worlds, or is he basically the same?
- In many ways, Dieter is a “forbidden romance” for Sabine. Have you ever experienced a forbidden romance? Do you think Sabine was foolish for trusting him?
- Gaby has been warned away from telling Sabine “who she is” (perhaps a ghost, or perhaps living in an unexplained otherworld), and tries to be content with the unresolved mystery. She is willing to give up her own future in order to be able to continue to see Sabine in this liminal space. Do you think she made the right choice? Do you think Sabine would have made the same choice if she knew that they lived in two different worlds?
- The story explores the idea that growing up means letting go of the past—which might include family members, or an idea of what you think your future should look like. What is Gaby holding onto that she needs to relinquish? What is Sabine holding onto? Do you think the two sisters are satisfied with where they end up, even though it is not what they planned? Have you ever had to let go of someone you didn’t want to let go of?
- Ireland has a long history of conquest, and was governed by Great Britain for nearly 800 years. As a consequence, some of the Irish characters in the novel “have no love” for the English, and did not want to fight alongside them in World War II. Do you understand this position? Do you think it was justified?
- Although Gaby and Sabine are half Irish, they both feel like strangers in a strange land. Have you ever traveled to a country where your ancestors once lived? Did you feel any connection with the land, or kinship with the citizens?
- How did you interpret the last chapter? Do you think Sabine was happy? Was her reaction to her circumstances, in your opinion, consistent with her character?