Into the Water

Content Warning: This section of the guide contains discussion of death, mental illness, gender discrimination, and rape.

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. How does the multiple narrator structure affect your understanding of the truth behind the deaths in Beckford? Does this technique remind you of other psychological thrillers like Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None, where each character’s perspective reveals different pieces of the puzzle?

2. Nel’s obsession with documenting the history of “troublesome women” (89) drives much of the story’s conflict. How effective do you find this framing device for exploring the book’s central themes?

3. Which character’s final fate surprised you most, and how did your opinion of them evolve throughout the story?

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

1. How do you relate to how Jules’s struggle with memory and trauma affects her relationship with her sister? Have you experienced situations where your perception of past events differed significantly from others who were present?

2. Louise’s grief leads her to blame other women rather than hold men accountable for their actions. When you’ve witnessed injustice or tragedy, how do you typically process the need to assign responsibility?

3. Lena finds herself caught between loyalty to her dead friend Katie and the adults demanding answers from her. How do you navigate situations where you’re torn between protecting someone’s secrets and telling the truth?

4. The sisterhood dynamics between Jules and Nel shift dramatically once Jules learns the truth about her past. What family relationships in your life have been transformed by new understanding or revelations?

5. What aspects of the community’s treatment of outsiders like Nel and Erin resonated with your observations of how newcomers are received in tight-knit communities? How do you think your own community handles those who challenge established norms?

6. Several characters struggle with guilt over things beyond their control while others feel no remorse for actual wrongdoing. How do you distinguish between appropriate responsibility and misplaced guilt in your own life?

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

1. How does the historical pattern of blaming “troublesome women” (89) while protecting “good men” in Beckford reflect contemporary discussions about accountability and justice in cases of gender-based violence?

2. The novel shows how women can turn against each other rather than challenging the systems that oppress them. What parallels do you see between this dynamic and current social movements or workplace situations?

3. In what ways does the small English town setting enhance the book’s exploration of how reputations are built and destroyed? How might these same power dynamics play out differently in today’s social media landscape?

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

1. What role does water imagery play throughout the novel beyond the obvious connection to the Drowning Pool? How does Hawkins use liquid metaphors to represent different characters’ emotional states?

2. The story moves between multiple timelines and perspectives without always clearly indicating whose voice we’re hearing. How does this technique contribute to the novel’s themes about the unreliability of memory and truth?

3. Nel’s mother’s bracelet appears repeatedly as both a physical object and symbol throughout the story. How does its function and changing meaning connect the various plot threads and revelations about different characters?

4. Compare Jules’s second-person narration addressing Nel as “you” and the other characters’ first-person accounts? What effect did this narrative choice have on your reading experience?

5. The excerpts from Nel’s book The Drowning Pool interrupt the main narrative at strategic moments. How does Nel’s historical account illuminate or comment on the specific events unfolding in the town?

6. Sean and Jules both suffer from trauma-related memory issues, yet their coping mechanisms lead them down very different paths. How does Hawkins use these parallel experiences to explore the lasting impact of childhood trauma?

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. If you were designing a memorial for the Drowning Pool that honored all the women who died there throughout history, what elements would you include to tell their stories respectfully while acknowledging the complex circumstances of their deaths?

2. Imagine you’re a new resident moving to Beckford after all these events have concluded. Based on what you know about the town’s history and the residents who remain, what questions would you ask longtime residents? How do you think they’d respond?

3. Which woman from Nel’s historical research about the Drowning Pool would you most want to have a conversation with, and what aspects of her experience would you want to understand better?

Need more conversation starters? Inspire your group with our Discussion Questions tool.