The Book of You
Claire Kendal, 2014
HarperCollins
368 pp.
ISBN-13: 9780062297600
Summary
"No other man can do to you what I can. No other man will love you like I do.... "
His name is Rafe, and he is everywhere Clarissa turns.
At the university where she works. At her favorite sewing shop. At the train station. Outside her apartment. His messages choke her voice mail; his unwanted gifts keep arriving at her door. Since that one regrettable night, his obsession with her has grown, becoming more consuming with each passing day. And as he has made clear, he will never let her go.
With Rafe in pursuit, Clarissa's only sanctuary is the courtroom in which she is serving jury duty. The rhythm of the trial allows her a sense of normalcy and the space to make new friends, including Robert, an attractive widower. But Clarissa's deepening relationship with Robert—a source of hope she so desperately needs in her life—will not remain unnoticed for long.
As a chilling tale of predator and prey unfolds in front of Clarissa on the stand, Rafe's relentless fixation, fueled by jealousy, escalates. Her only chance of escape lies in exposing his intentions for what they really are, even if it means immortalizing every moment she so desperately wants to forget.
Conceiving a plan, Clarissa begins collecting the evidence of Rafe's madness to use against him. Strand by strand, she pulls apart the twisted, macabre fairy tale he has spun around them and discovers that the happy ending he envisions is more horrifying than her darkest fears.
Masterly constructed, filled with exquisite tension and a pervasive sense of menace, The Book of You is a darkly sophisticated, utterly compelling debut that explores what happens when the lines between love and compulsion, fantasy and reality, become dangerously blurred. (From the publisher.)
Author Bio
Claire Kendal was born in America and educated in England, where she has spent all of her adult life. The Book of You is her first novel. It will be translated into over a dozen languages. Claire teaches English Literature and Creative Writing, and lives in the South West of England with her family. She is working on her next psychological thriller. (From the publisher.)
Book Reviews
This dark, disturbing debut…announces the arrival of a fierce new talent.
Daily Mail (UK)
A gripping tale, well-written and cleverly plotted...[that] demonstrates vividly how destructive [stalking] can be.
Literary Review (UK)
[I]ntimate, chilling first novel, an update of Samuel Richardson’s Clarissa.... With flawless timing, the author traces how Rafe isolates Clarissa, threatens her, and pries into the most private details of her life... Kendal spins a tale that’s troubling, raw, and gripping.
Publishers Weekly
Kendal expertly heightens the suspense while offering a disturbing portrait of a clever stalker who believes himself to be in love.
Booklist
The victim of a relentless stalker looks for a way out in Kendal's debut novel. Police shrugged their shoulders.... Kendal uses her writing skills to fine advantage.... Unfortunately, it's hard to believe Clarissa would endure so much abuse from Rafe.... Nicely written novel with a plot that will strain reader credulity.
Kirkus Reviews
Discussion Questions
1. Consider Charles Perrault's folktale "Blue Beard," referenced before the novel begins. What tone does it set? What issues or questions does it introduce?
2. What is gained by the novel being written in large part as dated journal entries? What changes when the narrative shifts to a more objective point of view?
3. What are the effects of the journal being a second-person, direct address to Rafe? Do these change as the story progresses?
4. Rafe makes the sinister statement to Clarissa that "men need secret places." What might be healthier, more understandable reasons to have a secret place to visit or keep things?
5. One of the various taxi drivers, a woman, helps defend Clarissa. Where else in the novel are there examples of strong or courageous women?
6. What does the brutal parallel experience of Carlotta Lockyer and the trial add to the novel? What specifically does Clarissa seem to learn from it?
7. Is the adversarial legal system justified in treating a victim like Carlotta as it does?
8. In what ways might Rowena's ideas about her own body and the need to "limit [her] expressions" be relevant to the danger Clarissa is in?
9. In the restaurant with Rowena and Rafe Clarissa comments on the Deco paintings of nude women. Is such a public display, however artistic, an element of the threat Clarissa and other women face?
10. What do various mentions of poetry—Keats, Yeats, etc.—add to the novel? In particular, what does Clarissa's reading of Anne Sexton's Transformations add to our understanding?
11. What kind of man is Henry, Clarissa's ex-boyfriend? What do we learn about Clarissa through her many memories of him?
12. What's appealing to Clarissa about Robert, the fireman?
13. On more than one occasion Clarissa asks Robert to tell her about fire. What might she be interested in or fascinated by? Where else does fire or objects relevant to it appear in the novel?
14. Sewing is very important to Clarissa. Why? In what ways is it valuable to her? Are there ways the skill serves the novel metaphorically?
15. Of what significance is Clarissa's memory of being punched and robbed of her bag when she was just a teenager?
16. At one point Robert tells Clarissa, "anyone could do violence." Is this idea helpful or disturbing?
17. Is DC Hughes a good man? Is Robert? Are there men in the novel that deserve the title? What characteristics or actions make them so?
18. What do you make of Clarissa's decision regarding Robert at the end?
(Questions issued by the publisher.)
Keep Quiet
Lisa Scottoline, 2014
St. Martin's Press
384 pp.
ISBN-13: 9781250010100
Summary
New York Times bestselling and Edgar Award winning author Lisa Scottoline is loved by millions of readers for her suspenseful novels about family and justice. Scottoline delivers once again with Keep Quiet, an emotionally gripping and complex story about one man’s split-second decision to protect his son—and the devastating consequences that follow.
Jake Buckman’s relationship with his sixteen-year-old son Ryan is not an easy one, so at the urging of his loving wife, Pam, Jake goes alone to pick up Ryan at their suburban movie theater. On the way home, Ryan asks to drive on a deserted road, and Jake sees it as a chance to make a connection.
However, what starts as a father-son bonding opportunity instantly turns into a nightmare. Tragedy strikes, and with Ryan’s entire future hanging in the balance, Jake is forced to make a split-second decision that plunges them both into a world of guilt and lies. Without ever meaning to, Jake and Ryan find themselves living under the crushing weight of their secret, which threatens to tear their family to shreds and ruin them all.
Powerful and dramatic, Keep Quiet will have readers and book clubs debating what it means to be a parent and how far you can, and should, go to protect those you love. (From the publisher.)
Author Bio
• Birth—July 1, 1955
• Where—Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
• Education—B.A., J.D., University of Pennsylvania
• Awards—Edgar Award
• Currently—lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Lisa Scottoline is the New York Times bestselling author and Edgar award-winning author of some two dozen novels and several nonfiction books. She also writes a weekly column with her daughter Francesca Serritella for the Philadelphia Inquirer titled "Chick Wit" which is a witty and fun take on life from a woman's perspective.
These stories, along with many other never-before-published stories, have been collected in four books including their most recent, Have a Nice Guilt Trip, and the earlier, Meet Me at Emotional Baggage Claim, Best Friends, Occasional Enemies, Why My Third Husband Will Be a Dog, which has been optioned for TV, and My Nest Isn't Empty, It Just Has More Closet Space.
Lisa reviews popular fiction and non-fiction, and her reviews have appeared in the New York Times, Washington Post and Philadelphia Inquirer. Lisa has served as President of Mystery Writers of America and has taught a course she developed, "Justice and Fiction" at The University of Pennsylvania Law School, her alma mater.
Lisa is a regular and much sought after speaker at library and corporate events. Lisa has over 30 million copies of her books in print and is published in over 35 countries. She lives in the Philadelphia area with an array of disobedient pets, and she wouldn't have it any other way.
Lisa's books have landed on all the major bestseller lists including the New York Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Publisher's Weekly, Washington Post, and Los Angeles Times, and Look Again was named "One of the Best Novels of the Year" by the Washington Post, and one of the best books in the world as part of World Book Night 2013.
Lisa's novels are known for their emotionality and their warm and down-to-earth characters, which resonate with readers and reviewers long after they have finished the books. When writing about Lisa’s Rosato & Associates series, Janet Maslin of the New York Times applauds Lisa's books as "punchy, wisecracking thrillers" whose "characters are earthy, fun and self-deprecating" and distinguishes her as having "one of the best-branded franchise styles in current crime writing."
Recognition
Lisa's contributions through her writing has been recognized by organizations throughout the country. She is the recipient of the Edgar Award, the Mystery Writer's of America most prestigious honor, the Fun, Fearless, Fiction Award by Cosmopolitan Magazine, and named a PW Innovator by Publisher's Weekly.
Lisa was honored with AudioFile's Earphones Award and named Voice of the Year for her recording of her non-fiction book, Why My Third Husband Will Be a Dog. The follow up collection, My Nest Isn't Empty, It Just Has More Closet Space has garnered both Lisa and her daughter, Francesca, an Earphones Award as well. In addition, she has been honored with a Distinguished Author Award from Scranton University, and a "Paving the Way" award from the University of Pennsylvania, Women in Business.
Personal
Lisa's accomplishments all pale in comparison to what she considers her greatest achievement, raising, as a single mom, her beautiful (a completely unbiased opinion) daughter, an honors graduate of Harvard, author, and columnist, who is currently working on her first novel.
Lisa believes in writing what you know, and she puts so much of herself into her books. What you may or may not learn about Lisa from her books is that...
♦ she is an incredibly generous person
♦ an engaging and entertaining speaker
♦ a die-hard Eagles fan
♦ a good cook.
♦ She loves the color pink, her Ipod has everything from U2 to Sinatra to 50 Cent, she is proud to be an American, and nothing makes her happier than spending time with her daughter.
Dogs
Lisa is also a softie when it comes to her furry family. Nothing can turn Lisa from a professional, career-minded author, to a mushy, sweet-talking, ball-throwing woman like her beloved dogs. Although she has owned and loves various dog breeds, including her amazing goldens, she has gone crazy for her collection of King Charles Spaniels.
Lisa first fell in love with the breed when Francesca added her Blehneim Cavalier, Pip, to the mix. This prompted Lisa to get her own, and she started with the adorable, if not anatomically correct (Lisa wrote a "Chick Wit" column about this), Little Tony, her first male dog. Little Tony is a black and tan Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.
But Lisa couldn't stop at just one and soon added her little Peach, a Blehneim King Charles Cavalier. Lisa is now beyond thrilled to be raising Peach’s puppies, Daniel Boone and Kit Carson, and for daily puppy pictures, be sure to follow Lisa on Facebook or Twitter. Herding together the entire pack is Lisa’s spunky spit-fire of a Corgi named Ruby. The solitude of writing isn't very quiet with her furry family, but she wouldn't have it any other way.
Cats
Not to be outshined by their canine counterparts, Lisa's cats, Vivi and Mimi, are the princesses of the house, and have no problem keeping the rest of the brood in line. Vivi is a grey and white beauty and is more aloof than her cuddly, black and white partner, Mimi.
When Lisa’s friend and neighbor passed, Lisa adopted his beloved cat, Spunky, a content and beautiful ball of fur.
Chickens
Lisa loves the coziness of her farmhouse, and no farm is complete without chickens. Lisa has recently added a chicken coop and has populated it with chicks of different types, and is overjoyed with each and every colorful egg they produce. Watching over Lisa's chicks are her horses, which gladly welcomed the chicks and all the new excitement they bring. (Author bio adapted from the author's website.)
Visit the author's website.
Follow Lisa on Facebook.
Book Reviews
The pace of the novel accelerates...through under-age and extra-marital sex, set-ups and cover-ups, and more murders—both attempted and completed. Twists and turns of the high drama plot come at the expense of character development but excitement builds nonetheless.
Publishers Weekly
Jake Buckman lets son Ryan drive the family car on a back road. Very bad idea. The car hits someone, and she's dead.... Very slow off the mark, though once blackmail and murder enter the picture, Scottoline moves things along with her customary professionalism, if scant credibility.
Kirkus Reviews
Discussion Questions
1. At the heart, Keep Quiet is about a parent who makes a mistake. Have you ever made a mistake, as a parent? If you did, do you understand why it happened? Jake Buckman made the mistake because he wanted to protect his child, and because he wants to make up for not having spent enough time with him in the past. He says yes to his son when he should have said no. Jake knows he has made a mistake as soon as he makes it, but he cannot unmake it. Can you imagine being in that kind of a bind? Have you
ever been?
2. Jake made his split-second decision in an emergency, with the intention of saving his son. How do you react in emergencies? Are you cool and calm under pressure, or do you get flustered? Who do you lean on in emergencies? What do you think you would have done in Jake’s position?
3. Jake and Ryan’s relationship suffered because Jake was working so many hours to build his business. What do you think motivated Jake to work so hard? Was he creating a fiscally sound base for his family, or was he feeding his own need to be successful? Either way, is there anything wrong with what he did? How do you think Jake’s own childhood contributed to his view of what it meant to be a good dad?
4. Although Pam is closer to Ryan, she is not a perfect parent either. What mistakes do you think she made, and do you understand why she made them? Did you like her? Why or why not? How would you describe her, and do you view her as a helicopter mom? Is that a bad thing? Do you think the closeness that Pam and Ryan shared sometimes squeezed Jake out of the picture? What responsibility, if any, do Pam and Ryan have for Ryan’s relationship with Jake?
5. Do you think any of the decisions that Pam and Jake made would have been different if Jake were not an only child? How does having other children in the home influence your parenting practices? What kind of pressure comes with being an only child? Do you have siblings? If so, in what ways do you think your life would have been different if you were an only child, or if you came from a family full of children?
6. Ryan spends much of his free time playing or practicing basketball, and you can feel the pressure on him, whether perceived or real, to perform. Youth sports today is no longer just recreational. Between travel teams, tournament teams and private training, do you think parents today have lost perspective on the importance and/or the benefits of being part of a youth sports team? Do you think it is harmful or beneficial for the kids? Are parents too heavily invested emotionally in the success of their children when it comes to sports or any other youth activities? Do you think kids are learning the right life lessons that should come from youth sports?
7. What punishment do you think Ryan deserved? Did he deserve to go to jail? How do you think the justice system would have handled Ryan’s case? Does the punishment always fit the crime? Teenagers make stupid mistakes. In a way, we are expecting them to. Who was more responsible for what happened, Jake or Ryan? Should Jake have faced jail time?
8. Although they say it takes a village to raise a child, what rights do other adults have to parent your child? Do you think Dr. Dave overstepped his bounds in trying to help Ryan? Have you ever had a parent reprimand your child inappropriately? Did you say anything? How do you speak to your child without undermining the authority of adults?
(Questions issued by the publisher.)
A Hidden Affair
Pam Jenoff, 2010
Atria
320 pp.
ISBN-13: 9781416590729
Summary
Past wars, past lives, past loves . . . can we ever really let them go . . . and should we?
Ten years ago, U.S. State Department intelligence officer Jordan Weiss’s life was turned upside down when she was told her college boyfriend, Jared, drowned in the River Cam. In a shocking discovery, though, she realizes that things weren’t as they seemed and that she had been lied to and betrayed by those closest to her.
Reeling from the shock—and the knowledge that Jared is still alive—Jordan resigns her State Department post and sets off in search of answers. Traveling to Jared’s last known whereabouts on the French Riviera, she encounters Nicole, a mysterious woman who flees after refusing to disclose what she knows about Jared.
Following Nicole across Europe, Jordan soon discovers that she is not alone in her pursuit— Aaron, a handsome and enigmatic Israeli, is chasing Nicole for his own cryptic reasons. Though distrustful of each other, Jordan and Aaron join forces on a journey that takes them half a world away, and only steps ahead of grave peril.
As Jordan draws closer to finding the answers that have eluded her for a decade, larger questions remain: Can she reconcile her attraction to Aaron with her unresolved feelings for Jared, the only man she ever loved? Will the truth be too devastating to handle or finally set her free?
Will she have a chance at happiness at last? Thrilling, romantic, and impossible to put down, A Hidden Affair gives us a brave and relentless heroine who never gives up on her search for the truth. (From the publisher.)
Author Bio
• Birth—N/A
• Where—Silver Spring, Maryland, USA
• Education—B.A., George Washington University; M.A., Cambridge University; J.D., University of Pennsylvania
• Currently—lives in Cherry Hill, New Jersey
Pam Jenoff was born in Maryland and raised outside Philadelphia. She attended George Washington University in Washington, D.C., and Cambridge University in England.
Upon receiving her master's in history from Cambridge, she accepted an appointment as Special Assistant to the Secretary of the Army. The position provided a unique opportunity to witness and participate in operations at the most senior levels of government, including helping the families of the Pan Am Flight 103 victims secure their memorial at Arlington National Cemetery, observing recovery efforts at the site of the Oklahoma City bombing and attending ceremonies to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of World War II at sites such as Bastogne and Corregidor.
Following her work at the Pentagon, Pam moved to the State Department. In 1996 she was assigned to the U.S. Consulate in Krakow, Poland. It was during this period that Pam developed her expertise in Polish-Jewish relations and the Holocaust. Working on matters such as preservation of Auschwitz and the restitution of Jewish property in Poland, Pam developed close relations with the surviving Jewish community.
Pam left the Foreign Service in 1998 to attend law school and graduated from the University of Pennsylvania. She worked for several years as a labor and employment attorney both at a firm and in-house in Philadelphia and now teaches law school at Rutgers.
Pam is the author of The Kommandant's Girl, which was an international bestseller and nominated for a Quill award, as well as The Diplomat's Wife, The Ambassador's Daughter, Almost Home, A Hidden Affair and The Things We Cherished.
She lives outside Philadelphia with her husband and three children. (From the publisher.)
Book Reviews
this thriller should keep romantic suspense fans hooked until its explosive climax.
Publishers Weekly
Guaranteed to appeal to a wide variety of fiction readers, it's a winner in every way
Library Journal
Discussion Questions
1. What compels Jordan to resign her position with the State Department and set out on her own to search for Jared? What are her main reasons for wanting to find him?
2. “The fact that Jared is alive means that the past ten years of my life, every thought I had and decision I made, was predicated upon a flawed assumption” (pg 22), says Jordan. In what ways did her belief that Jared was dead affect her life and the choices she made, both personally and professionally?
3. Jordan initially dislikes Aaron, finding him “dismissive and condescending” (pg 39). When does she begin to feel differently about him? What conflicts develop between them, and are they things that can be overcome? Is the fact that they’re both intelligence operatives an advantage or a detriment in their romantic relationship?
4. Why is Jordan even more determined to find Jared after she finds out that he’s married to Nicole? Why does Nicole encourage Jordan to go see Jared alone after their confrontation on the dock?
5. Jordan and Jared were college sweethearts, together for less than three months before his presumed death. Would their relationship have withstood the test of time? Why or why not? Who is the better romantic partner for Jordan, Jared or Aaron?
6. Discuss the historical and political aspects of the novel, including how wine was used during World War II. Regarding Jordan and Ari’s difference of opinion about Israel, which one do you think presents the stronger argument?
7. “[Jared] has the life that I do not, that I could not have while I was eternally grieving for him. I feel angry and foolish at the same time” (pg 225), admits Jordan. Why was she unable to get past Jared’s “death,” while he moved on with his life? Discuss whether or not you think Jared was justified in faking his own death.
8. Discuss Jordan’s reunion with Jared. How is it different than what she had imagined? Ultimately, what realizations does Jordan come to about herself and Jared? Does she find the closure she was seeking? Why or why not?
9. When Jordan finds out that Noah has been kidnapped, she offers to help rescue him. Why does she put her life at risk to save Jared and Nicole’s son?
10. How compelling did you find the suspense aspect of the storyline? Were you able to predict any plot turns, or did the author keep you guessing until the end?
11. Have you read Almost Home, the prequel to A Hidden Affair? If so, what are your thoughts on the continuation of Jordan’s story? If not, share whether or not you’re now interested in reading Almost Home.
(Questions courtesy of the author.)
The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair
Joel Dicker, 2012 (Engl. trans., 2014)
Penguin Group (USA)
656 pp.
ISBN-13: 9780143126683
Summary
The publishing phenomenon topping bestseller lists around the world
August 30, 1975: the day fifteen-year-old Nola Kellergan is glimpsed fleeing through the woods, never to be heard from again; the day Somerset, New Hampshire, lost its innocence.
Thirty-three years later, Marcus Goldman, a successful young novelist, visits Somerset to see his mentor, Harry Quebert, one of the country’s most respected writers, and to find a cure for his writer’s block as his publisher’s deadline looms. But Marcus’s plans are violently upended when Harry is suddenly and sensationally implicated in the cold-case murder of Nola Kellergan—whom, he admits, he had an affair with.
As the national media convicts Harry, Marcus launches his own investigation, following a trail of clues through his mentor’s books, the backwoods and isolated beaches of New Hampshire, and the hidden history of Somerset’s citizens and the man they hold most dear. To save Harry, his own writing career, and eventually even himself, Marcus must answer three questions, all of which are mysteriously connected:
—Who killed Nola Kellergan?
—What happened one misty morning in Somerset in the summer of 1975?
—And how do you write a book to save someone’s life?
A chart-topping worldwide phenomenon, with sales approaching a million copies in France alone and rights sold in more than thirty countries, The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair is a fast-paced, tightly plotted, cinematic literary thriller, and an ingenious book within a book, by a dazzling young writer. (From the publisher.)
Author Bio
• Birth—June 16, 1985
• Where— Geneva, Switzerland
• Education—M.J.D., University of Geneva
• Awards—Geneva Writers’ Prize; Grand Prix du Roman de l’Academie Francaise
• Currently—lives in Geneva, Switzerland
Joel Dicker is a Swiss novelist from Geneva Switzerland, a French-speaking city. His writing career started when he was a child. At the age of 10, he founded La Gazette des Animaux, a monthly magazine about wildlife. He was its editor-in-chief for seven years. In this capacity he won the Cuneo Prize for the Protection of Nature, and was named “Switzerland’s Youngest Editor-in-Chief” by the Tribune de Genève.
At 19 Dicker left for drama school in Paris, at the Cours Florent. After one year he returned to Switzerland to enroll in law school, where he received his Masters of Law from the University of Geneva in 2010.
Dicker became Europe’s publishing sensation of 2013 when his book La Vérité sur l’Affaire Harry Quebert sold nearly a million copies in France. In 2010, he won the Prix des Ecrivains Genevois (Geneva Writers’ Prize), a prestigious prize for unpublished manuscripts. After his win, the Parisian editor Bernard de Fallois acquired Dicker’s winning submission, "Les Derniers Jours de Nos Pères," and published it in early 2012.
Only six months later, de Fallois published Dicker’s La Vérité sur l’Affaire Harry Quebert (The Truth About the Affair of Henry Quebert) With translation rights sold in 32 languages, the novel has been called “the cleverest, creepiest book you'll read this year.” The worldwide excitement started at the 2012 Frankfurt Book Fair, where many foreign editors rushed to buy the rights. In late October 2012, La Vérité… (The Truth…) won the 2012 Grand Prix du Roman de l’Academie Francaise.
In summer 2013, La Vérité… knocked Dan Brown’s Inferno from the top of bestseller lists all over Europe. Early readers of the English translation have described the book as “literary and clever” and compared to the fiction of Nabokov and Roth, as well as the television series Twin Peaks, the book became one of the biggest original acquisitions in the history of Penguin Books and was published in the U.S. in 2014. (Adapted from Wikipedia. Retrieved 5/7/2014.)
Book Reviews
The cleverest, creepiest book you’ll read this year.... The most talked-about French novel of the decade.... Breathtakingly plotted.... Addictively fast.... It’s like Twin Peaks meets Atonement meets In Cold Blood.... The New England setting [is] immersively convincing..... Very few foreign-language novels make big waves in Anglophone countries, but this one seems genuinely likely to buck the trend.
Telegraph (UK)
With enough plot twists to fill a truck, it is a racy read.... Part master-and-disciple tale, part whodunnit, Mr. Dicker’s thriller is also a postmodern confabulation of timelines and stories, in the manner of Kate Atkinson’s Life After Life.
Economist (UK)
[An] In Cold Blood–style investigation of a Twin Peaks–like town.... A smart, immensely readable, impressively plotted page-turner [that] keeps the surprises coming right up to the closing pages.... An immersive, propulsive, continually wrongfooting twister of a tale, it should delight any reader who has felt bereft since finishing Gone Girl, or Stieg Larsson’s Millennium Trilogy.
Metro (UK)
[It] does well....what all good thrillers should: it twists and turns.... [It] has the pleasing spryness of one of Jessica Fletcher’s outings [in Murder, She Wrote].... Just like a [Harlan] Coben novel, it’s very enjoyable.
Guardian (UK)
If you dip your toes into this major novel, you’re finished: you won’t be able to keep from sprinting through to the last page. You will be manipulated, thrown off course, flabbergasted and amazed by the many twists and turns, red herrings and sudden changes of direction in this exuberant story.
Journal du Dimanche (France)
A master stroke.... A crime novel with not one plot line but many, full of shifting rhythms, changes of course and multiple layers that, like a Russian doll, slot together beautifully.... In maestro form, Dicker alternates periods and genres (police reports, interviews, excerpts from novels) and explores America in all its excesses—media, literary, religious—all the while questioning the role of the literary writer.
L’Express (France)
Dizzying, like the best American thrillers.... Rich in subplots and twists, moving backwards and forwards in time, containing books within books.
Le Figaro (France)
[A]n ambitious, multilayered novel of suspense that’s already an international bestseller.... Marcus sets out to clear Harry’s name—and promises his publisher to write a book about the experience. While at times unwieldy and repetitive, this tale of fame, friendship, loyalty, and fiction versus reality moves at warp speed.
Publishers Weekly
A missing girl, small-town secrets and literary ambition drive this busy, entertaining debut thriller.... Dicker keeps the prose simple and the pace snappy in a plot that winds up with more twists than a Twizzler....Nola's precociousness strains plausibility, and a demon ex machina out of Alabama is one twist too many—or maybe it's Dicker enjoying himself too much.
Kirkus Reviews
Discussion Questions
1. While you were reading the novel, were you conscious of the fact that it was originally written in French?
2. Were Harry and Nola in love? Is true love possible between an adult in his thirties and a fifteen-year-old adolescent?
3. There are no explicit sex scenes between Harry and Nola in the novel. Is it possible that their relationship was unconsummated?
4. How well do you think Dicker captured small-town American life? Are the Quinns a typical American family?
5. Is Marcus a reliable narrator?
6. Do you agree with Marcus’s ultimate decision to write a book about “The Harry Quebert Affair”? What would you have done in his position?
Spoiler Alert for the next set of questions
7. Who was Nola Kellergan: a victim, a seductress, or something else?
8. Elijah Stern goes to great lengths to atone for the crime he committed in his youth. Did his actions adequately compensate his victim?
9. Was Harry, in part, to blame for Nola’s death because of the way he misled Jenny Quinn?
10. How did the truth about The Origin of Evil affect your opinion of Harry? Should he have publicly admitted that it was really written by someone else?
11. Did you suspect the identity of the true killer?
12. Were you satisfied that justice had been served?
(Questions issued by publisher.)
Young God
Katherine Faw Morris, 2014
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
208 pp.
ISBN-13: 9780374534233
Summary
Meet Nikki, the most determined young woman in the Carolina hills.
She’s determined not to let the expectations of society set her future; determined to use all the limited tools at her disposal to shape the world to her will; determined to preserve her family’s domination of the local drug trade despite the fact that her parents are gone. Nikki is thirteen years old.
Opening with a death-defying plunge off a high cliff into a tiny swimming hole, Young God refuses to slow down for a moment as it charts Nikki’s battles against the powers that be. Katherine Faw Morris has stripped her prose down to its bare essence—certain chapters are just a few words long—resulting in an electric, electrifying reading experience that won’t soon be forgotten.
She quickly gets to the core of Nikki, her young heroine, who’s only just beginning to learn about her power over the people around her—learning too early, perhaps, but also just soon enough, if not too late.
Evoking the staccato, telegraphic storytelling style of James Ellroy but with the literary affect of a young Denis Johnson and a fierce sense of place worthy of Flannery O’Connor or Donna Tartt, Morris is a debut novelist who demands your attention—and Nikki is a character who will cut you if you let your attention waver. (From the publisher.)
Author Bio
• Birth—ca. 1983-84
• Where—Northwest part of Carolina, USA
• Education—M.F.A, Columbia University
• Currently—lives in Brooklyn, New York City, New York
Katherine Faw Morris was born in northwest North Carolina. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and two pit bulls. (From the publisher.)
Book Reviews
[I]n this young girl’s world, times are tough and drugs provide the only means for making a lucrative living..... The setup is promising, but all the characters remain two-dimensional.... Morris has kept her heroine at arm’s length, and therefore she, and the book as a whole, devolves into a slick romanticism of poverty, youth, and violence.
Publishers Weekly
A bleak novel of poverty and drugs in rural North Carolina, reminiscent of Flannery O'Connor but without a redemptive vision. At the center of the action is 13-year-old Nikki, whose mother dies at the beginning of the novel..... Morris writes brilliantly in short, spasmodic chapters, but her vision borders on despair.
Kirkus Reviews
Discussion Questions
Use our LitLovers Book Club Resources; they can help with discussions for any book:
• How to Discuss a Book (helpful discussion tips)
• Generic Discussion Questions—Fiction and Nonfiction
• Read-Think-Talk (a guided reading chart)
(We'll add specific questions if and when they're made available by the publisher.)