Discussion Questions for Boy Friends by Kai Spellmeier

These discussion questions invite readers to look beyond the central friendship in Boy Friends by Kai Spellmeier and think about the wider emotional world of the story: growing up, family, grief, identity, love, secrecy and the pressures young people face when they are trying to understand themselves and each other. They encourage readers to consider how Simo, Luca and Maz are shaped by their relationships, by homophobia, by loss, and by the hopes and assumptions of the people around them. The questions also open up space to discuss the book’s influences, its setting, the role of poetry, and what the story might be building towards in a sequel.