The Girl Who Drank the Moon

Glerk is a “maker.” He loves language and poetry. Consider his poems about birth (36), spring (39), and patience (135-36), and the final poem he leaves for Luna (383). Pick one poem and analyze its meaning. How does the poem reflect Glerk’s personality? His beliefs?

Mother-daughter relationships are important in the novel, but what about fathers? When Antain becomes a father, does fatherhood change him? Do any other characters act as fathers? In what ways?

Who is your favorite character in The Girl Who Drank the Moon? Why is this character your favorite? What are the character’s flaws? What are their strengths?

Both Fyrian and Luna are prevented from growing up. What are the consequences of this? Are the consequences good, bad, or a combination? Explain. What happens when Fyrian and Luan do start to change and mature?

Ethyne knows that “controlling stories is power indeed” (309). What does she mean? Who controls stories in the novel? Give examples of stories people tell and their effects on others.

Many characters undergo transformations: Glerk, Luna, Fyrian, Antain, the madwoman, and Xan. Pick one character and describe how they change throughout the novel. What do they learn about themselves?

Kelly Barnhill uses multiple points of view to tell The Girl Who Drank the Moon. What effect do these different—and differing—points of view have on the reader? Can we trust all the narrators? Why or why not?

Characters in the story lie for different reasons. Xan lies to “protect” Luna. What lies does she tell? Do you believe she is right or wrong to lie? Luna also lies to Xan. How do these secrets affect Luna and Xan’s relationship? Pick another character who lies and describe how these lies affect them and others.