Fledgling

The novel was written shortly before Octavia E. Butler’s death. If it had expanded into a series, where do you think Shori’s story would have led her?

Consider the pros and cons of being an Ina or human in the Ina-symbiont relationship. Which would you rather be? Why? Who do you connect with the most in the novel?

Celia and Joel are both Black, like Shori. How does this affect their relationship with her? With Wright and Brook?

Given the Ina-symbiont relationship (forged via bite bonds), what does the novel’s attitude toward pleasure seem to be? How is pleasure tied to survival? How is it tied to violence?

When we meet the Silks’ doctor, Shori comments that “he’s definitely hungry to know more” (285) about her. What other kinds of hunger exist in the novel, and what do they reveal about the characters?

One of the Council members sides with Shori, saying that “Her memory was stolen from her. But her ability to reason wasn’t stolen” (297). Do you agree with this statement? How is memory connected to reason? Do we need our memories to think logically or morally?

Shori wants a life in exchange for Theodora’s life, while Katharine Dahlman believes her sentence of limb amputation is too severe. How does the novel explore the concept of justice? How does Ina justice differ from human justice? Why is this significant?

What is the significance of fire in the novel? What does it represent?