The Bird Hotel

Maynard discusses in her Acknowledgements (page 402) that it was difficult to find a publisher for this novel because of concerns that she, a white North American, might not accurately or sensitively portray an Indigenous culture based in what is now Central America. Discuss how you see the villagers of La Esperanza and their Mayan culture being represented in the book, and whether Maynard succeeded in a sensitive portrayal. You may wish to further consider what Maynard says about the necessity for fiction writers to consider lives and experiences not their own. What is your response to her argument?

Examine the theme of motherhood, parenting, and/or the many lost children of the novel. What does the novel convey about the bonds of family, or the theme of loss, with so many abandonments, intentional or otherwise?

Examine the theme of romantic love, especially its persistence and passion. You might consider what love means to Irene in terms of her relationships, but you might equally explore the other love affairs—Elmer and Mirabel, Wade and Rosella, even the couples who stay at La Llorona—to explore what message the novel conveys about love and its impacts.

Examine the theme of justice as it surfaces in the novel. Gus and Dora seem to receive some sort of justice for their actions; so does Andres; so do the Lizard Men. What forms does justice take in the novel? Are there crimes that go unaddressed?

Discuss the presence of birds in the novel and what they mean as setting, metaphor, or symbol. Why are the birds such an important part of the landscape? Why is Irene drawn to them in her art? Why does she rename her home the Bird Hotel when there are so many other symbols or elements that characterize the place?

Analyze the eruption of the volcano as a metaphor. What themes or ideas does it represent? What role does this incident play in the novel, and how is it foreshadowed?

Compare the characters who are seekers, especially those, like Irene, seeking refuge. What does this theme add to the novel? How does the movement of seeking and finding reflect with another motif about every paradise having its serpents?

Explore the theme of reconciliation and what this contributes. There are instances of children reconciling the loss of parents, including Irene’s confrontation with Dawn/Diana; there is also Tom’s reconciliation with Diana at the end. How does the reconciliation of human relationships relate to the larger themes of regrowth, recovery, and renewal?