1. In Christopher Moore's other novels, his
main characters are hardly "alpha males"; in fact, they tend to be "beta
males." How does Sammy Tiffin fit that description—perhaps he's a little
aimless or unfocused or … what else? How would you describe Sammy?
2. Noir takes place two years after the end of World War II. What
is post-war American life like—in San Francisco and especially
Chinatown—as portrayed by Moore?
3. Moore riffs on the noir genre*—crime stories first made famous in the
1930s & 40s by Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler. Talk about certain
elements that are part-and-parcel to the genre (tough-guy language, for
one) and how "noir" is distinct from other crime tales. What are the
ways in which Moore's novel both pokes fun at and pays tribute to the
noir style?
4. Noir writers draw on analogies in their writing. Point to some of
Moore's: this one, for instance, "he smiled like a dog at a barbecue for
the blind."
5. What, in particular, made you laugh? Does Moore sustain the comedy
and wacky banter throughout the novel? Does it become funnier … or does
the humor fall off? Do you have some favorite lines?
6. Do you have any characters you were fond of—Petey, say, or Eddie?
Cheese? Moonman?
7. Did the shift in point-of-view, from the first person to third-person
narrative, confuse you? When did you figure out the identity of the
speaker?
8. If you've read other Christopher Moore books, how does Noir compare?
* Some questions from
LitLovers.