Hunting Adeline

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

1. Adeline experiences many traumatic events in the text. What events stood out to you as particularly devastating? Why?

2. The novel discusses both The Unique Struggles Facing Women and The Effects of Trauma on Relationships. Did you find either of these themes to be personally relatable? If not, did you find them believable or relevant to contemporary discussions on these topics?

3. While few people have experienced the specific scenarios that Zade and Adeline encounter, many people have felt powerless in the face of abuse, harassment, or persecution. Have you ever felt this way? How does your own experience compare to the characters in the novel?

4. One element of the series that readers criticize is the similarity between the Society and the QAnon conspiracy theories that have developed over the last 10 years. What does this common thread reveal about Carlton’s writing and potential worldview?

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

1. The novel addresses the issue of human trafficking that threatens many women and children. Does Carlton accurately represents these issues? Why or why not? Do any characters or events stand out as unrealistic?

2. One of the critical themes of the text is Hierarchies of Power and Agency, in which many characters are limited by their role within a larger structure. Can you identify any similar hierarchies in your own life, career, or relationships? How do these hierarchies undermine or empower your own agency?

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

1. How did you feel about the split in the novel between Part 1 and Part 2? Did this structure enhance your experience of Zade’s pursuit of Adeline and Adeline’s recovery?

2. Claire and Francesca are important characters in the text, but their dynamics pose a range of implicit questions about the relationship between power and gender. Did you find it believable that two women would willingly participate in a system of abuse in exchange for money or power? Why or why not?

3. One motif in both Haunting Adeline and Hunting Adeline is Zade and Adeline’s often violent sexual activity. How did you feel about the contrast between Zade and Adeline’s consensual non-consent/dubious consent relationship and the active sexual assaults that Adeline faces in trafficking?

4. A minor symbol in the text is the knife that Zade gifts Adeline during her training. The knife could symbolize Adeline’s empowerment, enabling her to get revenge and defend herself, or it could symbolize her descent into the darkness of Zade’s questionable morality. How did you see this progression, and how does the knife’s symbolic status affect your interpretation of the story?