Discussion Questions for Shanghailanders by Juli Min

With such a unique construction and a trip both through time and across the world, there is much to discuss about Shanghailanders. Spoilers ahead! 

1. Shanghailanders is a story told backward through time from 2040 to 2014. How did telling the story this way inform your reading experience? 
2. All the members of the Yang family are keeping their own secrets, and we see the consequences ripple out in varying ways. Discuss how the relationships between family members are affected by these secrets. 
3. Min deftly tackles the nuances of class structure in Shanghai. How do class differences play out throughout the course of the novel? 
4. Eko Yang is an expat—or “Shanghailander”—and her connection to Shanghai ebbs and flows over time. What connects her to the city? How do changes in her life lead her to define herself as Chinese, Japanese, French—or Shanghailander—at different times? 
5. Discuss the relationship between Leo and Eko. How does it shift? What actions from the past inform their relationship in the present?
6. Throughout the course of the novel, Yumi and Yoko have a strained relationship. What contributes to this dynamic? Is there anything left unsaid between them that adds to the tension? 
7. Discuss the chapters featuring the Yang family’s private driver and their nanny. How do their perspectives change the way you view the Yang family? What unique points of view do they bring to the story? 
8. Discuss the chapter “Ponies on the Mountain in the City on the Sea.” How does Lucy’s death affect Kiko’s relationship with her sisters? How does the confrontation with their father reflect their roles in the family? 
9. Discuss Kiko’s fascination with American culture and fame. What do you think informs her desires? 
10. Did you have a favorite narrator? Was there one perspective you related to the most? Why? 

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