For Whom the Belle Tolls

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. Consider Lily’s emotional journey, the worldbuilding within the story, and/or the humor of For Whom the Belle Tolls. Which aspects of the story resonated with you the most, and which felt less successful?

2. How does this book compare to other romantasy or afterlife-based novels you’ve read?

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

1. How did the book’s themes of grief, healing, and autonomy intersect with your own views or experiences?

2. Lily often approaches her afterlife with equal parts sarcasm and vulnerability. Do you relate more to her instinct to help others or her instinct to protect herself and keep her distance?

3. Have you found yourself having to navigate a major life transition that required considerable changes to your identity, like Lily? How did your response compare?

4. Does Hell’s administration—its rules, bureaucracy, and power structures—remind you of any real-world systems?

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

1. How does the novel’s treatment of sexual abuse and institutional cover-up speak to current conversations around sexual violence and power dynamics?

2. How does the novel conform to, or diverge from, common understandings of the afterlife in your own country or community?

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

1. What role does the Afterlife setting play in shaping the book’s tone, themes, or conflicts?

2. How does the author develop Lily and Bel’s character journeys? How are they different or similar?

3. Discuss how supporting characters (e.g., Lily’s demon coworkers, mythological deities, God, demons, and mortal souls) enhance or challenge Lily’s growth in the narrative.

4. How does the author balance internal conflict with external plot action?

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. Sketch or digitally design your imagined layout of the book’s world (e.g., Hell’s front gate with the Hellp Desk, the Universal Hallway, the Paradise Hallway, the many realms of the Afterlife, etc.). What details from the text shaped your version of the setting?

2. Write and share a mock interview with one of the characters, asking them questions about pivotal moments in the narrative. What new insights emerged about their motivations or emotional states from this exercise?