Appetite for Innocence

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. The story is told through two different timelines, “Then” and “Now.” How did this structure affect your reading experience and your connection to the characters as you pieced together the events of their captivity and escape?

2. What was your initial reaction to the novel’s ending? Did the fates of Ella, Sarah, and Derek feel just, realistic, or unsettling to you?

3. How does the portrayal of captivity and survival in Appetite for Innocence compare to other stories you’ve encountered, like Emma Donoghue’s Room (2010)? What did this book’s focus on the aftermath and the complex relationship between two survivors add to the conversation?

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

1. Jocelyn’s decision to bring Sarah home is a major turning point in the story. Have you ever been in a situation where you realized it would be less compassionate to intervene on someone else’s behalf? How did you navigate the complicated dynamics between intervention and compassion?

2. Sarah uses rigid routines to cope and create order in a chaotic environment. Have you ever found yourself relying on routines or rituals to get through a stressful period? What does her attachment to this structure tell you about the psychology of survival?

3. Ella feels completely disconnected from her old life, believing she no longer “fits” in a world that has moved on without her. Can you recall a time you returned to a familiar place or group after a significant life change and felt a similar sense of alienation?

4. The novel explores how names shape our identity, especially with Sarah’s fierce rejection of her birth name, Petra. What significance do names hold for you? How does this story make you think about the power of naming and renaming oneself?

5. After her rescue, Ella impulsively shaves her head to get rid of the hair her captor loved. Have you ever made a significant change to your physical appearance to mark a new chapter or break from the past?

6. When Ella is overwhelmed at her welcome-home party, she flees to her room. Have you ever been overwhelmed by another person’s act of care? Feel free to discuss why this was the case and how you responded to the person afterwards.

Examine the book’s relevance to societal issues, historical events, or cultural themes.

1. Derek Hunt uses social media and a running app to stalk his victims, turning their digital footprints into a “map leading him right to [them]” (200). Did the novel’s focus on this modern form of stalking feel realistic or overly cautionary? Did it make you reconsider your own online presence?

2. What does the novel’s depiction of Stockholm Syndrome, particularly through Sarah’s trauma bond with Derek, contribute to the public conversation around this psychological phenomenon? Does the story succeed in showing it as a complex survival strategy rather than a simple case of a victim siding with her abuser?

3. Randy, the victim’s advocate, plays a crucial role in explaining trauma to both the characters and the reader. What does the book suggest about the importance of professional intervention versus well-intentioned family support?

Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and symbolism.

1. The upstairs of Derek’s house is described as pristine and beautiful, while the basement is a soundproof prison. In what ways does this stark architectural contrast function symbolically throughout the novel? What does it reveal about Derek’s psychology and the fractured reality the girls inhabit?

2. Lucinda Berry often explores the complexities of motherhood and damaged children, as seen in other works like The Perfect Child (2019). What questions does the author seem to be asking about the nature of maternal instinct when faced with a child shaped by profound trauma?

3. By the end of the book, what was your final interpretation of Sarah? Is she a tragic victim whose capacity for morality was destroyed, or did she become a villain in her own right? Where in the text did your opinion of her shift most dramatically?

4. What is the significance of the novel’s title, Appetite for Innocence? Whose appetite does it refer to, and how is “innocence” defined or consumed by different characters throughout the story?

5. Did you find the dual first-person perspectives of Ella and Sarah to be an effective narrative choice? What do you think would have been lost or gained if the story were told only from Ella’s point of view?

6. The theme of The Ambiguous Morality of Survival is central to the story. Beyond Sarah’s complicity, where else did you see characters making morally complex choices to survive, either physically or emotionally?

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. What does the content of one of Sarah’s daily letters to Jocelyn look like from her point of view, one month into her institutionalization? What does she say about her daily life, Derek, and her plans for when she is released?

2. Paige’s voice is largely absent from the narrative, as we only learn about her through Ella and Sarah. Write a brief monologue or diary entry from Paige’s perspective during her captivity, before Ella’s arrival. What are her private thoughts on survival, hope, and Sarah?

3. What might a therapy session between Ella and Dr. Hale look like a year after the novel’s conclusion? How has Ella’s understanding of her trauma, her mother, and Sarah evolved?