Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. An epigraph from George Orwell’s 1984 opens the novel, framing the story with a famous quote about controlling the past. How did this quote shape your initial expectations and your reading experience as a whole?

2. In your view, is Haven’s rigid health-score system a plausible attribute of a postapocalyptic world mired in the aftermath of nuclear devastation? Why or why not?

3. Sullivan sets Beneath in the same universe as her first novel, Conform, only 200 years earlier. For those who have read both novels, how did this prequel enrich your understanding of Sullivan’s world building? For newcomers to the author’s work, did the book feel complete on its own?

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

1. Which member of Unit Seven did you connect with the most, and why?

2. The novel explores the idea of a “found family” through the dynamics of Unit Seven. What makes these chosen bonds so powerful, particularly in high-stress environments?

3. Sasha uses her journal to hold onto memories that she fears will fade. How do you preserve your most important memories or personal experiences?

4. Dr. Kumar suggests that heroes often see themselves as villains because they alone know the sacrifices that they have made. What commentary does this statement make on the moral complexities of survival?

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

1. Haven’s health-score system echoes real-world debates about medical triage and the deeper flaws of the American healthcare system. What ethical questions face any society that chooses to quantify human worth?

2. Commander Burdon manipulates history, rewriting the story of the Angels’ fall to further secure her own power. How do her actions reflect real-world instances of political censorship or historical revisionism?

3. The story draws on tropes seen in other dystopian works like Suzanne Collins’s The Hunger Games or Veronica Roth’s Divergent, particularly the division of society and brutal competition. What do you think Beneath adds to the conversation about social control and rebellion within the dystopian genre?

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

1. Analyze the metaphorical significance of Sasha’s various labels and nicknames, from “Death’s Angel” to “Beast” to “Phoenix.”

2. How does the Force’s training simulation, “the House,” function as a physical manifestation of Sasha’s trauma?

3. What do the colored identification bands suggest about the realities underlying Haven’s social hierarchy?

4. How do Tristian’s and Sasha’s perspectives on hope, community, and survival contrast and complement each other?

5. Is Rumi’s deception as a double agent justified for the greater good, or does the negative emotional impact for Patrick and the unit outweigh the strategic benefit?

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. The Epilogue leaves Sasha in Expansion, contemplating joining the Moles, a covert resistance group. What might her first mission with them be?

2. If you were to design a new sector for Haven, what would its purpose be, and how might it change the society’s dynamics?

3. Imagine that you’re in charge of distributing the new supplies from the Abyss. How would you ensure that they’re shared equitably?