READERS GUIDE

Questions and Topics for Discussion

1. The narrator of this novel is clearly obsessed with the Woman in the Purple Skirt. Is the narrator a stalker? 

2. How would you describe the relationship between the Woman in the Purple Skirt and the Woman in the Yellow Cardigan?

3. Why do you think the narrator uses such unique names (the Woman in the Purple Skirt, the Woman in the Yellow Cardigan) in her narrative? 

4. Does our understanding of the Woman in the Purple Skirt and the Woman in the Yellow Cardigan change as the narrative progresses? In what ways? Do you think we ever know them fully?

5. What are the chief characteristics of the workplace where the Woman in the Purple Skirt gets employed? 

6. Children’s games feature quite a lot in this book. What role do you think they serve?

7. Food also features at various points in this book. Why do you think there is this preoccupation with food?

8. If the relationship between the Woman in the Purple Skirt and the Woman in the Yellow Cardigan is one of rivalry and competition, who do you feel has “won” in the end?

9. Were there places in this novel where you felt uncomfortable? Why? What role does comedy play in this novel? Do you think it works?

10. Do you think this is a feminist novel? Is it a realistic novel, or simply a dark fairy tale?

11.  In terms of its portrayal of people in the workplace and the resolution offered by the conclusion, how does this novel compare with Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata?