New World Monkeys

Reader's Guide

1. There is a strong animal presence in New World Monkeys—beginning with the title. Can you describe how Duncan and Lily experience animal nature? Is it something to be feared or revered?

2. There are two very distinct settings in the book: the small upstate town of Osterhagen, and Manhattan. Could you argue that the Vietnam of Duncan’s imagination is a third setting?

3. In the very first chapter, Lily kills the Sovereign of the Deep Wood. What does this single incident tell you about both husband and wife and the roles they play? Discuss the difference between a lifealtering moment and a life-revealing moment.

4. Why do you think the author chose a creature like a wild boar to collide with Duncan and Lily’s car?

5. In Osterhagen, Duncan and Lily are surrounded by wilderness—or wildness. How does savageness start seeping into their lives? How does this affect Duncan, in particular, who must return to his city life each Sunday night?

6. When we first encounter the Osterhagen townsfolk, they appear to be a quirky community but they soon develop into a menacing force. How does adversity in the form of Skinner, his poodle and his son Emmett affect a couple like Duncan and Lily?

7. Lloyd is a troubling character. Yes, he’s a pervert but he’s also unsparingly honest. What do you think he represents for Lily through the course of her summer? Why do you think she never tells Duncan about him?

8. After peeping on the dentist, Lloyd says: “You’re the sophist, Lily. You probably think what? That you’re a great liberal?” He shakes his head as if she is pitiful. “But you’ve never done anything wrong. That’s why the little things bother you so much—smirches on your sterling record of close calls.” Beyond his perverse nature, what are the advantages and disadvantages of allowing someone like a ‘filterless’ Lloyd into your confidence?

9. When the police come to question Lily she has the opportunity to turn Lloyd in. Why do you think she doesn’t do it? As a reader, what did you want her to do, and why?

10. Lily becomes somewhat of the ‘keeper’ of Tinker’s bones. What do they represent to her and what do the midnight digs come to represent to them both she and Duncan as a couple?

11. The physical body has several iterations in this book—it is prized, nurtured, murdered, mutilated, buried and dug up in turn. How do these cycles relate to what Duncan and Lily go through during their marriage?

12. What does Duncan want from his career at the ad agency? As he takes on a leadership role among his colleagues, his character begins to change—perhaps surprisingly. In your experience, how accurate a description is this of group-think?

13. Lily justifies her decision to hide Duncan’s One Show trophies as an attempt to protect him against her father’s derision. How reasonable is this logic? Can you think of examples where you had to draw the line between protecting people in your life and ultimately hurting them?

14. What do you think of Duncan’s decision to follow Lily up to Osterhagen for the summer? When we first meet the couple, how deeply are they aware of their marital trouble? How committed are they to one another? What do you think is the sparking incident that forces them to turn a corner in their relationship?

15. How do the interactions between Duncan and Lily change as the story progresses? Does the backdrop of a rural, upstate town help or hinder their relationship? Is Duncan a different man when he’s with his wife than he is when he’s with his team at the agency?

16. New World Monkeys is written from a dual perspective. How do you feel about this if you are a male reader? A female reader? Who do you think is the emotional center of the story? Or can there be two emotional cores?

17. After being with both Duncan or Lily for the duration of the story, do you find that your loyalty shifts between characters? Would you say that rooting for one or the other is really indicative of your own experiences and life situation?

18. Consider this passage of Duncan’s point of view on his wife: “While he remained terrestrial and not quite upright she had entered the order of new world monkeys, was afforded a superior position among the trees.” What are other examples of Duncan misreading Lily? What role does Lily’s envy of her husband’s creativity play in the dissolution of their marriage?

19. Duncan and Lily appear to ‘devolve’ as individuals, versus progressing toward enlightenment. What affect does the author achieve by using this ‘reverse’ method to develop the characters? In this context, consider the title, New World Monkeys which Duncan uses to denote a better, progressive and elevated state.

20. How is the idea of ‘returning to the wild’ echoed in the book? Give examples of how both Duncan and Lily ‘re-wild’ both the mind and body over the course of their bizarre summer.