Deep End

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

1. How did you respond to the scene where Pen suggests that Scarlett and Lukas sleep together? Was Pen’s behavior in character? Did you expect Scarlett and Lukas to take her suggestion? Why or why not?

2. The novel explores the interconnection between physical and personal challenges via the world of competitive sports. How do your own athletic or physical challenges compare and contrast with Scarlett’s? How do you understand the connection between the mind and body?

3. Discuss the key characteristics of Pen and Scarlett’s friendship. She and Scarlett remain friends throughout the novel, but Scarlett constantly worries about upsetting or betraying her. Does Pen and Scarlett’s friendship remind you of your own friendships? How do Pen and Scarlett grow as friends over the course of the novel?

4. The novel is primarily set on the Stanford campus. How does college life impact Scarlett emotionally? How have your academic experiences played a role in your sense of self?

5. Discuss the believability of Scarlett and Lukas’s relationship. Which parts of their dynamic did you identify with? Which parts were less relatable? How does your own romantic and/or sexual history affect your thinking?

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

1. Deep End explores BDSM in the context of consensual relationships. Discuss Hazelwood’s portrayal of a healthy sexual dynamic between Scarlett and Lukas. How does her representation of their relationship create awareness around consent, trust, exploration, and pleasure? Specifically, consider these ideas in the context of Scarlett’s experience.

2. Discuss how the world of competitive sports relates to Scarlett’s sense of self. How does diving complicate her self-worth? Why does she have such high expectations for herself, and where do these expectations originate from? Consider these questions through a feminist lens.

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

1. Deep End is a contemporary romance novel. What tropes does Hazelwood embrace and which does she subvert? Identify specific examples from the text and discuss the thematic significance of her genre subversions.

2. The novel is written from Scarlett’s first-person point of view. Examine the narrative and thematic effects of this formal technique. How would the novel change if Hazelwood had incorporated Lukas’s narration into Scarlett’s?

3. Discuss the impact of the Stanford University setting on the novel’s plot and tone. How does Scarlett emotionally respond to each micro setting around campus? Does she behave differently when she’s off campus? How do shifts in her surroundings affect shifts in the narrative atmosphere, and why?

4. The novel explores Scarlett’s Journey Toward Growth, Healing, and Self-Empowerment. Examine the experiences and relationships that contribute to Scarlett’s evolution. How would her journey differ if she hadn’t been injured or if she didn’t have relationships with Sam, Pen, and/or Lukas?