1. How do the quote from José Ortega y Gasset at the beginning of the book and Ernaux’s third-person semi-autobiography interact? What do these two elements say when put together?

2. What is one force, among many, which Ernaux describes as manifesting itself very differently in her generation’s youth as opposed to their parents’ youth?

3. One of the epigraphs for the book is: “All we have is our history, and it does not belong to us.” ‘Les Années‘ is both a personal autobiography and an autobiography of Ernaux’s generation. How well do you think they work together?

4. Ernaux makes numerous cultural references, often in the form of lists. She names products, appliances, food, movies, songs. Could you relate to those and your own upbringing, or did those things feel alien to your own cultural experience?

5. What do you think Ernaus means when she writes, “. . . other people’s memories gave us a place in the world/” Can you relate to it?

6. Ernaux writes, “For girls, shame lay in wait at every turn.” Did you see evidence of a sense of shame in this book?

7. Does her use of the word “we” play into this sense of shame?

8. What period in her life did you find the most interesting?

9. In what ways did the book feel French?

10. How appealing do you find her writing? Does it make you want to read more of her?