Charles Yu’s novel engages with some of the philosophical ideas raised by thinkers such as Ludwig Wittgenstein, Albert Einstein, and Kurt Gödel. Choose one (or any other thinker whose ideas resonate with Yu’s). How do Charles’s experiences echo their work?

How does Yu’s approach to metafiction differ from autofiction? How does the narrative imply or deny that the novel is autobiographical?

Discuss the conflict of the novel in terms of antagonism. Which character(s) presents the biggest obstacle to Charles’s journey? How does Charles overcome them?