Lost Catacomb (Hochberg)

Discussion Questions
1.  What are the thriller elements in The Lost Catacomb and how are they given literary resonance?

2.  How does the search for the provenance of an ancient catacomb become a metaphor for the personal issues that Nicola faces?

3.  How do the three central love stories echo and reinforce each other?

4.  Discuss the two major metaphors in the novel--the stars and the myth of Andromeda.

5.  Which of the three female figures in the love stories do you identify with the most and why?

6.  Discuss the thematic relevance of the epigraphs that precede each section of the novel.7.  What did you learn about the history of Italian Jewry that you were unaware of before you read The Lost Catacomb?

7.  How do you feel about the implications of the relationship of the Vatican with the Nazis during World War Two as depicted in the novel?

8.  What literary allusions and subtexts did you find in the novel and how do they enrich the text?
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9.  Discuss the theme of loss in the novel.  Which plot elements does it include?
(Discussion questions courtesy of the author.)

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