The Lazarus Project

By Aleksander Hemon

Discussion Questions

1. Aleksander Hemon wrote this novel in English, his second language. Could you tell ?

2. Throughout the novel, people are crossing borders between countries. How would you describe these crossings in the novel? How are they different than the border crossings people engage in when traveling for leisure and adventure? What different stories do passports, with their various stamps, tell?

3. In many stories, characters are punished because of the words they speak. In The Lazarus Project, what are the ramifications of being incapable of speech?

4. Throughout the novel, the narrator, Brik, says, "Home is where somebody notices when you are no longer there." Where does Brik find home? Why?

5. Discuss Aleksandar Hemon's description of Bosnians meeting again, by chance, in the United States?

6. What does Brik mean on page 47 by "the sumptuous palette of American fears."

7. Is there a connection between the story and the biblical story of Lazarus? What is it?

8. What is the author saying about the immigrant experience in the United States? Is he

9. commenting upon how it has or has not changed over the last century?