“Homeseeking” Book Club Questions (Karissa Chen)
These are the discussion questions we used in our Busy with Books book club session for Homeseeking by Karissa Chen, shared here for anyone who wants to use them for their own book club, or just needs space to sit with a book that deserves it.
Karissa Chen's debut novel is one of those books that follows you around for days after you finish it. An epic love story spanning six decades, four countries, and more heartbreak than should be legal — Homeseeking is also, quietly, a book about what it means to belong somewhere, to someone, and to yourself.
We had a lot to say (we always do), but this one ran long.
Whether you're running a book club discussion or you've just closed the final page alone and need somewhere to put all your feelings, these Homeseeking discussion questions are for you.
Before we get into it: did you like the book?
Sometimes the most useful place to start is also the most obvious one.
Did you like Homeseeking? Did you expect to? Did it win you over immediately, or did it take a while to find its footing with you?
Questions about home, belonging, and identity
What does the word "homeseeking" mean to you, in the context of this story? Have you ever felt truly at home somewhere — or distinctly not? In what ways do the characters seek home, and how does that search shape who they become?
How would you define home? Is it a physical place, a particular person, a feeling, a set of memories, or something you carry with you?
The novel suggests that home isn't just somewhere you live, but something built from memory and connection. How do Suchi and Haiwen each understand and chase that idea of home across their lives?
As immigrants navigating unfamiliar places, both characters undergo real shifts in how they see themselves. How do Suchi and Haiwen reconcile their heritage with the lives they build in new countries — and what does that reconciliation cost them?
Questions about memory, grief, and moving forward
Suchi survives by refusing to look back. Haiwen survives by refusing to forget. What do you make of these two approaches? Is one more admirable, more understandable, more painful than the other? Do you think it's possible to truly move on without letting go of the past?
Reflecting on their lives — what different choices might have led to different outcomes for Suchi and Haiwen? How do regret, guilt, and the weight of decisions ripple through the story?
Do you believe in soul mates? If so, would you consider Suchi and Haiwen to be soul mates — and what in the text makes you feel that way?
Questions about the historical context
The Chinese Civil War and the Cultural Revolution form the backdrop to this story. How do those historical forces shape the characters' choices and trajectories — and did reading this change how you think about that period?
How much did you already know about this chapter of history before you picked up the book? Did it send you down any research rabbit holes?
Questions about structure and craft
What did you think of the dual timelines — one moving forward, one moving backward? Did that structure change how the story landed for you? Would it have felt different told from a single point of view?
Questions about specific characters and moments
What role do Linyee and Saikeung play in the novel? Did Haiwen betray Linyee? How do you read his faithfulness — or lack of it?
What is the significance of the ring? What is it carrying by the end of the novel?
Music runs through Haiwen's story like a thread. Why is he so drawn to it? Why does the war strip him of it — and what finally brings it back? What role does music play for Suchi, if any?
Questions about the ending
Tread carefully! Full spoilers ahead.
What did you think of the ending? Did it feel earned?
If Chen had written a scene showing Suchi reuniting with her mother, what do you imagine would have happened? What would Suchi have said?
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