PAPER/PLATES Book Club discussion

Have you read The Signature of All Things? Join fellow readers to discuss this beautiful and complicated novel. Feel free to post at any time — there's no end date for this conversation!

Start with the questions below, or add your own!

How is The Signature of All Things similar to or different from other period novels you've read?

Do you like Alma Whittaker? Why or why not?

How is Alma shaped by her close relationships? In what ways is she close to her father, her servant, her adopted sister, her husband? In what ways is she distant?

What does Alma's love for and research of mosses signify about her personality? What does it say about the standing of women scientists in the 1800s?

How does Alma's lack of beauty or attractiveness affect her life, for better or worse?

What roles do sex, self-love and chastity play in this novel? How do they contribute to the story overall?

Alma memorably theorizes about varying kinds of time, including Moss Time, which moves very slowly. What do Alma's theories about time reveal about her beliefs?

What does Alma gain from her affection for plant life, and does that compensate for what she lacks in human relationships?

Do you agree with Alma's decision to go to Tahiti? Why or why not?

How does the missionary Alma encounters in Tahiti, Reverend Welles, differ from the locals? What does she learn from each of them?

Does Alma's trip to Tahiti and discoveries about her husband's experiences there give her closure?