Your House Will Pay

Some characters are trying to keep memories alive, while other characters are trying to keep the past buried. Pick two characters other than Shawn and Grace, and compare their motives to either remember or forget the past.

The novel ends with a palm tree on fire in downtown Los Angeles. Analyze this symbol using other examples from the novel.

The novel takes place across many neighborhoods in Southern California. Pick two locations in the novel and analyze how Cha characterizes them differently. Why is this difference significant to the story?

The novel begins with a memorial for Alfonso Curiel and ends with a protest for Ray Holloway. Why does Cha frame the story in this way?

Food is important to both the Parks and the Holloways. Choose one dish or food item described in the novel. How does it change the way the reader thinks of its respective scene(s)?

How does Cha implement social media to shape the events of the novel, or change the way the reader sees a character? Focus on one scene or character.

Religion shapes the way some characters approach the world. How does Grace, Uncle Joseph, or Ray’s faith shape the way they approach the events of the novel?

Pick a moment in the novel when a camera or video footage changes the course of a story. How does this moment illustrate the way videographic evidence shapes the way people think of an event?