Hemlock & Silver

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. How did you feel about the book’s blend of fantasy, mystery, and revised fairy tale? Did you find that the genres worked together seamlessly, or did one aspect appeal to you more than the others?

2. For those who have read T. Kingfisher’s other work, like the Hugo Award-winning Nettle & Bone, how does Hemlock & Silver compare? What signature elements of her writing style or thematic concerns did you recognize here? Alternatively, how does the work compare to other portal fantasies—for instance, Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking Glass, which also uses a mirror as a gateway between worlds?

3. Which aspect of the novel was the most memorable for you? Was it Anja’s scientific investigation, the unsettling discovery of the mirror-world, or the complex moral questions surrounding the royal family’s tragedy?

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

1. Anja’s work is driven by a deep skepticism of traditional authority, beginning when her tutor encouraged her to question the classics. Have you ever been in a situation where you had to trust your own observations or experiences over what an established authority was telling you? How did you approach it?

2. One of Anja’s colleagues notes that for her, a patient is “a problem with a person inconveniently attached” (111). Have you ever had to balance professional objectivity with personal empathy in your own life? How do you navigate that line?

3. As an outsider at court, Anja must navigate a world of gossip, judgment, and social rules that she doesn’t understand. Think about a time when you felt like an outsider in a new environment. What parts of Anja’s social anxiety or her ways of coping felt familiar to you?

4. Anja’s fall into the mirror-world challenges her rational, evidence-based worldview. Can you think of a time when a new piece of information completely changed your understanding of a situation?

5. How does Grayling’s concept of “tidiness,” a desire to see the world’s order restored, resonate with your own ideas of good and evil?

6. Nurse and Snow both keep dangerous secrets, believing that they are protecting someone. Do you think it’s ever acceptable to hide the truth, even with good intentions?

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

1. Where do you see the conflict between Anja’s empirical, evidence-based methods and the court’s reliance on outdated tradition playing out in contemporary society?

2. What does the court’s immediate assumption that Anja is the king’s mistress reveal about the perception of professional women in powerful spaces? In what ways have these challenges changed or remained the same?

3. The novel explores how truth becomes distorted in a high-stakes political environment filled with fear and paranoia. How do the court’s rumors and the need for cover stories reflect contemporary concerns surrounding information-sharing and public perception?

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

1. How does telling the story entirely from Anja’s first-person viewpoint shape your experience? How might the story have felt different if it were told from Snow’s or Javier’s perspective?

2. Why might Kingfisher have chosen blood as the mechanism that “wakes” reflections? How does it relate to the symbolism of hearts?

3. Have you read other contemporary retellings of “Snow White,” such as Helen Oyeyemi’s Boy, Snow, Bird? How does Kingfisher’s reworking compare, and what does this reveal about the authors’ differing styles, interests, etc.?

4. How did you respond to Anja’s suggestion that Grayling might be the missing “Saint Cat”? How does this tweak to his characterization contribute to the novel’s broader exploration of myth as a counterpart to science?

5. Did you find the romantic subplot between Anja and Javier compelling? Why do you think Kingfisher transferred the fairy tale’s romance from the princess to a “side” figure (beyond the fact that Hemlock & Silver’s Snow White is still a child)?

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. The “mirror-gelds” are Kingfisher’s answer to how a real-world optical illusion would manifest in the mirror-world. Choose another phenomenon involving mirrors—for instance, angling them in a way that catches and magnifies a light source—and imagine how it might play out on the other side of the silver.

2. What future adventures or challenges do you foresee for Anja and Javier? What might be a compelling reason for them to return to the world on the other side of the silver?