Clown in a Cornfield

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. Do you enjoy slasher films? How does this novel rank against the slasher films you’ve seen? How might you compare it to novels that employ slasher elements, such as Final Girls by Riley Sager or I Was a Teenage Slasher by Stephen Graham Jones?

2. Were you satisfied by the revelation of the killers’ identities? Do you think the novel could have done more to obscure their identities or throw you off their scent?

3. Evaluate Quinn as a protagonist. Did you sympathize with her struggle to survive the night? Did you root for her, or did you feel a greater affinity for one of the other protagonist characters?

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

1. How do you deal with new environments? Do you actively work to form new personal attachments, or do you refrain from doing this? Why? How might your experience relate to Quinn’s experience of moving into Kettle Springs at the start of the novel?

2. Recall a time when you were judged by older people for doing something that did not fit their expectations. Do you think their judgment was justified, or do you think it reflected their own insecurities? How might you compare this to the teen characters, who are judged simply for being teens?

3. The novel explores what it means to be an outsider in an isolationist community. Have you ever felt like you were ostracized by your peers or by your elders? How did you deal with this situation? Do you think your strategy succeeded in managing your relationship with your community?

4. Kettle Springs’ adult population proposes that the past was better than the present. Do you agree with them? In what ways are they right? What are the things they may be overlooking in their assessment?

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

1. The slogan of the Kettle Springs Improvement Society bears a clear resemblance to the presidential campaign slogan associated with Donald Trump. How does this reflect the novel’s allegory for the state of politics in small-town America and its impact on the rest of the country and the rest of the world?

2. Consider the economic issues of Kettle Springs. What are some of the alternative ways to revitalize the town? How might you convince the town’s adult population to turn away from its stale corn industry?

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

1. Would you classify this novel as being more of a young adult novel or a horror novel? How does the novel align with what you expect from each of these genres? How do the elements of the other genre subvert or upset your expectations?

2. How does the character of Rust fit into the book’s larger discourse on small-town politics and American conservatism? Do you think his character is representative of a particular reality in the American political right? Or do you think his stated character traits misdirect you to the reality of his experience?

3. Discuss how Cesare uses perspective in this novel. List the characters who have point-of-view chapters and identify what are their common traits. What do these shared characteristics add to the book’s position on difference and outsider identity?

4. What does it mean to you that Quinn never directly addresses her traumatic experiences with her mother at the end of the novel? Do you think she has resolved her trauma, or has it been overshadowed by her experiences at Kettle Springs?

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. The Kettle Springs Improvement Society co-opts the image of Frendo to communicate their intentions. Draw from your community’s history to invent your own slasher villain, explaining the iconography that informs their appearance. What elements of the original icon can be weaponized to the slasher’s advantage?

2. Make a mixtape for the novel, making sure to include picks from the soundtracks of iconic slasher movies like Halloween and Scream. Which of these scores best matches the mood you imagine for Frendo the Clown?