Literally Leander discussion

Our book for May 2021 was Find Layla by Meg Elison.

This month, our discussion prompts were written by a staff member. As always, don't feel pressured to use these prompts; anything you have to say about this book, we are excited to see!

1. With less than 200 pages, Find Layla is our shortest book club selection so far. What did you think about the book's length? Is there anything would you have liked to see added or further explained?

2. Describe Layla, the novel's protagonist. Did you think she was a likable and/or relatable character?

3. At the beginning of the novel, Layla stated, "Life is hard and complicated and messy. . . . Life is sometimes using a knife to comb your hair, because absolutely nothing else works, and life always finds a way through." How did life find a way through for Layla?

4. Discuss the role social media played in Find Layla. How did the use of social media impact Layla's life specifically?

5. What did you think about the book's ending? Were you surprised when the truths about Layla's family were revealed?

3. At the beginning of the novel, Layla stated, "Life is hard and complicated and messy. . . . Life is sometimes using a knife to comb your hair, because absolutely nothing else works, and life always finds a way through." How did life find a way through for Layla?
When Layla stated that life finds a way through, she was referring to the ability of humans and the natural world to survive in spite of facing harsh living conditions. Layla was able to survive living in harsh living conditions of her home, which was described as "a hostile ecosystem of indoor fungi and secret shame". At the end of the book, Layla mentioned the gorilla metaphor again and stated that life was what she shared with her brother, Andy. Layla's relationship with her brother, specifically her need to protect and care for him, helped her to survive living in the hostile ecosystem of her home and the aftermath.

4. Discuss the role social media played in Find Layla. How did the use of social media impact Layla's life specifically?
Layla's classmates, Jane and MacKenzie, cyberbullied Layla on Twitter and Instagram. Being the target of cyberbullying was the main reason Layla decided to upload the biome video.

The worst feeling here is that I'm not the scientist. I'm the subject. Jane's observations on her Instagram and Bette's decisions about my habitat will determine my fate. Someone else will get to name me and define me. . . . I am not an experiment. . . . And this the only way I can prove it.

5. What did you think about the book's ending? Were you surprised when the truths about Layla's family were revealed?
I was unhappily surprised when the truths about Layla's family were revealed. All the truths were revealed in quick succession like an info-dump. In general, the ending felt rushed and unresolved.