Literally Leander discussion

April's book club pick was Furia by Yamile Saied Méndez. There will be spoilers for the book in this thread!

This month, our discussion prompts come from Booksamillion. As always, you are free to use them if you wish, otherwise we would love to see any thoughts or opinions you had on this book.

1. Why is Camila given the nickname “la Furia,” and how does she embody “fury” both on and off the field?

2. The book opens with the line “Lies have short legs.” In the novel, what lies does Camila tell herself and others, and what lies is she told? What are the effects of those lies?

3. Camila has a complicated relationship with her brother, Pablo. How does Pablo’s fútbol career affect Camila’s family life? In what ways does Pablo help Camila, and in what ways does he fall short of being the big brother she wants him to be?

4. Camila looks to la Difunta Correa, a saint who died trying to save her husband, for protection throughout the novel. What does the story of la Difunta Correa say about expectations for women in Camila’s community? In what ways does Camila struggle with these expectations, in her family and her romantic relationship?

5. What changes in Camila that finally causes her to tell her mother the truth about her love of fútbol and to stand up to her father?

6. In the last line of the book, Camila’s reply to Diego is “the one and only.” What does this say about her personal growth? What do you think this means for her future with fútbol, Diego, and her family?

I've not been doing well with book club picks so far this year. Furia was another book that I just didn't click with. Many of the thoughts I had about Firekeeper's Daughter were reflected for this book: an important topic, with a diverse cast written by a native member of the featured community, but ultimately not one that I truly enjoyed; and, it presented too much but didn't leave enough room for a follow-through.

There are so many threads that, in a way, connect--particularly in regards to feminism, but I felt like they weren't fully connected or tended to run parallel with each other, without truly getting the attention they each deserved.