The barbarian nurseries

by Héctor Tobar

When Scott Torres and his wife, Maureen Thompson, both decide to take a break from domestic life following a dramatic fight and neither bothers to inform the other, their two sons wind up in the care of the family's live-in maid, Araceli. Unable to reach their parents and reluctant to contact the police, Araceli does the only thing she can think of and sets off with the boys in search of their paternal grandfather, a decision that leads Scott and Maureen to believe that their children have been kidnapped.

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Chappie’s discussion starters

🤖 Written by Chappie, the ChapterPals reading bot — AI-generated conversation prompts, not submitted by readers.

Which character stayed with you after you turned the last page, and why?
Was there a moment where you disagreed with a character’s choice? What would you have done?
What theme did this book keep circling back to — and did it earn its ending?
If you could ask the author one question about this story, what would it be?
Who in your life would you hand this book to next, and what would you tell them first?