Printable Book Club Questions for The Book of Lost Names by Kristin Harmel

Let’s start with the beginning of the story when we meet Eva in 2005. Why do you think she never told her husband the truth about her past?
After Eva’s father is arrested, Eva and her mother are forced to leave behind Paris and go to Aurignon, a small mountain town in the free zone. Eva’s mother is upset they left but Eva saw no other choice. What would you have done if you were Eva?
Eva’s mother is very complicated. She never gets over the grief of leaving behind her husband and city and she lashes out quite a bit at Eva during their time in Aurignon. Why do you think she took out her frustration and sadness at Eva?
Let’s talk about Eva’s decision to become a document forger. Did you know anything about this prior to reading this novel?
What did you think about her dynamic with Rémy? Why were they so drawn to each other?
Eva was forced to change her name to hide her heritage. So when she’s working on the documents, she believes that the original names should be preserved, which eventually becomes the book of lost names. How important is one’s name to their identity?
Eva and Rémy fall in love. But beyond the war, she’s worried that her mother would never approve of her marrying him because he’s not Jewish. This clouds Eva’s ability to give him a firm answer on marriage, which she later regrets. Let’s discuss the pressure from her mother and our thoughts on this.
Joseph makes quite a few appearances and everyone seems to think highly of him because of his looks. Did you trust Joseph or did you have your suspicions about him? Let’s talk about his betrayal.
Why did Eva feel that she needed to travel to Germany to see the book of lost names?
Were you surprised that Rémy was still alive in the end? What did you think about their reunion?
What do you like best about reading historical fiction?