SuitabookThe castrato
Joyce Oudkerk Pool
- Reading
- Read together if useful, pausing when Angelo considers his future. Invite the reader to weigh what each path might offer him, while leaving room for the book’s ending to surprise you.
- Themes
- Talent, agency and an altered future: Angelo’s soprano voice brings him to the attention of people who want to use his talent, as he faces different possible futures. The premise raises a question about how much control Angelo has over the direction of his life, but the story’s judgement of the people around him is not established.
- Worth knowing
- Angelo is a castrato, and the story refers to an altered future. A reader may want to discuss what this means for him; the extent of bodily detail is unclear.