The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears

The novel is set in Logan Square, a neighborhood of Washington, DC. What is the significance of this particular setting? How would the narrative change if it were in a different neighborhood or city?

At the end of the novel, why does Sepha say that his store looks “more perfect” than it ever has before? How has the store changed, and how has Sepha’s perspective merely changed?

How did Sepha’s relationships with Judith and Naomi changed his outlook? How did they change his relationship to America?

Is The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears an “American novel” or an “immigrant novel”? Provide examples to defend your argument.

The novel ends with another immense change in Sepha’s life. What do you think comes next? Write the next chapter in Sepha’s story.

How do different immigrants in the novel try to achieve the American dream? How do they see themselves in relation to America?

According to the story, what are the “beautiful things that heaven bears”?

What role do books play in the novel? Why did Mengestu choose books as a symbol, and not some other form of narrative entertainment like TV or movies?