Don't Let Him In

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. Did you find the novel’s ending satisfying? Why or why not?

2. Have you read Lisa Jewell’s None of This Is True, or another book that similarly uses flashbacks to gradually reveal the relationships among characters? How did this book’s use of flashbacks add to or detract from your reading experience?

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

1. Which of the women in this story did you most relate to? How does her character reflect your own experiences and worldview?

2. Have you ever met someone as manipulative and self-centered as Nick? How did this person impact the people around them?

3. A large part of Ash’s insecurity comes from measuring herself against the fantasy standard of the parents she believes to be perfect. Have you known people who struggle to accept that their families are flawed? How has it impacted them?

4. Have you ever used online tools to investigate someone? When, in your opinion, is such an investigation ethical, and when is it unethical?

5. If one of your friends or relatives behaved as Ash behaved with Ritchie Lloyd in London, would you support and believe them despite the evidence against them? What is the danger in being too quick to judge, and what is the danger in believing them regardless of the evidence?

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

1. In the novel, the police take the stalking accusations against both Ash and Nick seriously. How well does this reflect real-world police handling of such accusations?

2. Ash goes to great lengths to investigate Nick and help her mother, although Nina might see her efforts as intrusive. Where is the line between ethical intervention and unethical interference when trying to help or protect a loved one? How does your answer reflect cultural norms about individual autonomy?

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

1. How does Jewell’s choice to include Nick’s first-person narration increase narrative tension? How would the novel be different without it?

2. Discuss Ash’s growth over the course of the novel. What is her initial perspective on herself, and how does it change? How is her development tied to a changing understanding of her parents and her own insecurities?

3. Don’t Let Him In explores class through Nick and his targets. What is the novel saying about wealth, class, privilege, and entitlement?

4. Which characters in the novel manipulate themselves into convenient beliefs? What message does this send about the power of people like Nick to manipulate others? Why are Ash and Emma able to resist Nick’s manipulations?

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. Because Ash is the woman who finally brings about Nick’s downfall, the book is largely her story—but Emma, Amanda, Jesse, Laura, and Martha have each suffered at Nick’s hands, as well. If each of these women wrote a book about her experiences, what might she title it? How would this title reflect both her experiences and her personality?

2. If you were directing a movie based on this book, what notes would you give the actor playing Nick? In what scenes would you want him to project complete innocence, and when would you want him to seem more dangerous? What conflicting objectives would you have to balance in these key scenes?