The Place on Dalhousie book club notes

An entire generation of Australians have grown up with Melina Marchetta’s novels. She is one of Australia’s best storytellers, writing across many genres – from crime fiction to young adult fiction to fantasy – as well as writing for TV and film. In The Place on Dalhousie, she returns to her roots, writing about the inner-west of Sydney and the interconnecting lives of characters she first explored in her novels Saving Francesca and The Piper’s Son, as well as a whole cast of wonderful new characters. Here are some questions to get your book club discussion started.

Discussion points and questions:

• Which parts of the book stood out to you? Did you have a favourite scene?
• Do you think the author had a good understanding of a sense of community and what it feels like to belong? Do you think we have lost that feeling? Or do you still feel part of a community?
• What other themes did you detect in the story?
• What broader social issues does this book explore?
• What did you think about the author’s writing style?
• Who was your favourite character in the novel, and which one did you relate to the most? 
• Do you think this book would make an enjoyable film? Who do you think could play the characters in a movie adaptation?
• What other books have you read by Melina Marchetta, and how did this one compare? Which one is your favourite?