House of Glass
55 pages • 1-hour read
Sarah PekkanenHouse of Glass
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Book Club Questions
General Impressions
Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.
1. What knowledge did you have about “best interest attorneys” before reading this novel? How did this information enhance your reading experience? If you had never heard of this concept, what did you learn?
2. Have you read any works that Pekkanen has co-authored with Greer Hendricks, such as The Wife Between Us, An Anonymous Girl: A Novel, and The Golden Couple? Do you notice a distinction between the single-authored and co-authored works? If this is your first novel by Pekkanen, are you interested in reading more?
3. Compare this book to others in the domestic thriller subgenre, like Shari Lapena’s Everyone Here is Lying, Laura Dave’s The Night We Lost Him, or B.A. Paris’s Behind Closed Doors. How does each author approach the “domestic” aspect of the thriller genre? (If you haven’t read these books, take a brief look at their overviews to get a sense of the plot.)
Personal Reflection and Connection
Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.
1. Did you correctly predict the killer’s true identity? What red herrings or clues did you catch?
2. Stella is troubled about the prospect of taking on Rose’s case but decides to do so after observing her behavior. If you were a qualified best interest attorney, what would you have done in her situation?
3. This novel contains serious depictions of issues like child abuse, neglect, trauma, addiction, and death. What were the most emotionally intense moments of the novel for you, and why?
4. What is your opinion of the Barclay family? Did their problems resonate with you? Why or why not?
5. The novel conducts a thematic exploration of The Nature of Evil. What is your stance on “evil” as a concept? Do you believe that something or someone can be “truly evil”?
Societal and Cultural Context
Examine the book’s relevance to societal issues, historical events, or cultural themes.
1. How are class inequalities represented in this novel, and how do these issues impact the characters, relationships, and plot?
2. How does the novel portray the nuances involved in cycles of abuse and addiction? Compare the novel’s representations to trustworthy online sources about the psychology of abuse and addiction. Are the novel’s representations of these issues accurate or sensational? What are the larger repercussions of these representations?
Literary Analysis
Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and symbolism.
1. How does the narrative draw implicit parallels between Stella and Rose throughout the novel?
2. How does the novel utilize the arcs of its main characters to explore The Nature of Evil?
3. One of the factors in Stella’s decision of whether to take Rose’s case is the fact that Rose is a child, while Stella usually works with adolescents. Why is Rose’s status as a child important to the story? What would be different if she were an adolescent?
4. Why is the setting of Washington, D.C. important to the novel, especially given its juxtaposition with Barclay House? How do these two settings add to the novel’s tone?
5. Throughout the novel, weapons are portrayed as flexible symbols whose meaning changes depending on the context. Identify various meanings suggested by the appearance of weapons in the text. How do these details enhance the novel’s philosophical subtext?
6. How has Stella grown and changed by the end of the novel? What factors contribute to this shift?
Creative Engagement
Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.
1. If you were casting a film adaptation of this novel, who would you cast in the main roles? Are there any roles for which you would choose an unknown actor? What traits or talents would you look for in their audition?
2. Create two playlists, one that embodies Stella’s character and one that embodies Rose’s. Describe your choices, focusing especially on the songs that emphasize the parallels between the two characters.
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