Bencoolen

Discussion questions for Bencoolen

Bring these to your book club — or discuss them with readers on Readfeed.

1. 1

   How does reading a book structured primarily as a list of names and grave inscriptions, rather than a traditional narrative, impact your understanding and emotional connection to the past? What unique insights does this format offer compared to a historical account?

2. 2

   Each entry in "Bencoolen" represents a human life, often cut short in a foreign land. What silent stories or common threads do you imagine connect these individuals, despite their diverse backgrounds and roles within the East India Company?

3. 3

   The sheer volume of graves documented speaks to the challenging conditions faced by the British in Sumatra. What specific aspects of life during this colonial period – be it disease, climate, conflict, or isolation – do you think contributed most significantly to the high mortality rates?