1. Liberation shifts in perspective between Adriana in the present day as an old woman and Adriana in Italy as young girl. Which perspective made the strongest first impression on you? Did each incarnation help you to more fully understand the other?

2. Liberation largely takes place during World War II and documents the destructive power and reality of armed conflict. What, for you, was the most difficult moment in the book?

3. Discuss the character of Amdu in the novel. Ultimately, in what ways does he affect Adriana’s life and her outlook?

4. Discuss the role of friendship in the novel. Which example of friendship for you was the strongest? How is loyalty viewed in the novel compared to friendship?

5. In Liberation, the author returns to the Italian island setting of Elba, also the setting for her previous novel Tourmaline. Discuss the setting of Elba as a character in this novel and what the island means to Adriana.

6. Early on the author writes Adrianna “remembers wanting to stop believing everything she was told” (p. 10). Ultimately, what is more important for the characters in the novel: the suspension of belief or the ability to continue to do so?

7. In what ways are the settings of modern America and mid-century Italy different? How is America viewed in the novel?

8. Discuss the relationship of Amdu and Adriana. Do you think their relationship would be the same if they met under different circumstances?