Winter Garden

While the characters and plot in Winter Garden are fictional, the novel draws on real historical events from Soviet Russia. Research some of the history behind the novel. How does the author blend fact and fiction? How does a fictional treatment of these historical events compare to what a non-fiction work typically does or does not do?

Explore the novel’s treatment of female identity and motherhood. How are these elements depicted? How do Anya, Meredith, and/or Nina wrestle with these aspects of their lives in different or similar ways?

Discuss the significance of Anya’s fairy tale. How does it act as a symbol in the novel? How does it illustrate some of the novel’s key themes and ideas?

Consider the role of setting in the novel. What is the significance of the different settings in the text—e.g., Leningrad, the family orchard, the winter garden, Alaska?

Memory plays a central role in the novel. How does memory and/or the repression of memory impact each character and their choices or behavior? What does the novel suggest about the wider significance of the past?

Discuss the novel’s title. How does Winter Garden reflect some of the novel’s key themes and ideas?

Why do you think Hannah wrote the novel from a third-person point of view? How would the novel change if Hannah wrote it from Anya’s perspective? Or Nina’s or Meredith’s perspective?

Analyze the depiction of the male characters in the novel: Evan, Jeff, and Danny. How are the male characters depicted? What is their significance in the text?