Authors: Tomas Mournian
hidden (38 page)
hidden
Tomas Mournian
About This Guide
The suggested questions are included to enhance your group’s reading of Tomas Mournian’s
hidden.
How does the safe house in
hidden
become a character? Describe how the author uses a place as part of the story.Time both accelerates and stops within
hidden
—fast in the opening sequence (Run), and slow in the second sequence (Hidden). How does the writer indicate the passage of time in the second sequence?The period of time covered is never explicitly stated, yet there are clues to its passage. What span of time does
hidden
cover?Suspense underscores
hidden
’s narrative. What storytelling techniques does the author use to create a sense of suspense? How does that suspense express the consequences of the characters’ choices?Many characters in
hidden
use fictional names. What are those names? How do those names serve a practical function? Symbolically, what do those names express about the characters?When Ahmed first sees the other kids in
hidden,
he makes immediate judgments. How true / false do those assumptions prove? Have you ever seen something and made an assumption that’s proven less than accurate?Food serves different purposes in
hidden
. For example, both Ahmed and Alice / Nadya describe chocolate milkshakes, but to different effect. What is the difference? What are other examples of food’s importance in
hidden
? What roles does food play in your life?The author makes a specific language choice to show the romance between Ahmed and J.D. What is it? How does it allow any reader—i.e., female, male, gay, straight, etc.—to imagine one’s self in the story?
Ahmed’s mother is a powerful—yet unseen—character in
hidden
. What purpose does her absence / presence play in the narrative?When Ahmed first sees Hammer, it’s love at first sight. But this changes. What happens to shift Ahmed’s interest? What is the role of desire in
hidden
?During the Hidden sequence, Ahmed continues his journey, but it’s confined to one space, a contrast with the physicality of the novel’s opening sequence (Run). Discuss how Ahmed’s journey shifts from external to internal. Also, how does Ahmed change during this period of time?
Ahmed’s story is central to
hidden
. However, his story exists in relation to other character’s stories. By character, describe these other stories. Discuss how Ahmed’s own story is changed by hearing these stories.Alice / Nadya’s story shifts between present and past tense. Discuss why the author may have chosen to tell her story this way. Also, does the use of past / present tense add or detract from the style of the story and character? Why is / isn’t it confusing?
How did the story impact you on a personal level? Which character did you most relate to? Explain.
“You can always leave,” Sugar advises Ahmed. The phrase reappears several times throughout
hidden
. How is the advice both physical and spiritual? How does
Ahmed use the phrase to frame his final, crucial decision? Have you ever heard a piece of advice that you’ve taken to heart and acted upon? Why / why not?In
hidden
’s opening section, Run, Ahmed looks out the van window and sees a boy his age. The boy climbs into a car to commit prostitution. At that moment, Ahmed makes a promise to himself that he won’t make the same choice. By the end of
hidden
Ahmed’s attitude toward sex workers has shifted. What happens?Have you ever considered running away? Why? Could you make the same sacrifices of lifestyle described in
hidden
?Ahmed makes the same choice at the beginning and end of
hidden
. What is that choice? How are the choices the same / different? At different points in your life, have you ever made a same but different choice? Discuss.What was the ultimate life lesson Ahmed learned in his journey? If you feel there’s more than one lesson, what is it? Did you relate to these life lessons?
The ending of
hidden
and Ahmed’s story is open-ended. What do you imagine happens to Ahmed?