50 pages • 1-hour read
Little Stranger
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Book Club Questions
General Impressions
Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.
1. Did you like how the book ended? Did it make you feel interested in reading the second book in the series?
2. Discuss what you like most and least about the book.
3. Compare Little Strangers to other dark romance books like Haunting Adeline by H.D. Carlton or Twisted Love by Ana Huang. How do the similarities and differences inform your overall understanding of the genre?
Personal Reflection and Connection
Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.
1. Dark and taboo romance can sometimes push beyond what readers find comfortable. Was there any part of the book that felt “too far” for you? How did this affect your understanding of the characters?
2. Discuss your experience with or relationship to dark romance. Is this your first time reading a dark romance book? A taboo romance? How did this experience (or lack thereof) inform how you interacted with the text?
3. Have you ever been attracted to someone you shouldn’t be attracted to? Your experience with this theme might include having a crush on a coworker, someone else’s partner, or someone otherwise unavailable to you.
4. Was there any point in the book where you were rooting for Olivia and Malachi? Any point where you were rooting against them? Did your position on this matter shift at any point?
5. The novel suggests that romantic love is more important than any other relationship—including family or friends—and it matters more than society’s judgment. Do you agree or disagree?
Societal and Cultural Context
Examine the book’s relevance to societal issues, historical events, or cultural themes.
1. What does the book suggest about adopted children and their parents? Does it perpetuate stereotypes or fight against them?
2. How does the novel engage with society’s understanding of mental illness? Does it stigmatize or offer compassion to those with ASPD?
Literary Analysis
Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and symbolism.
1. Readers experience Olivia’s point of view for about half the book before they encounter Malachi’s perspective. How did this affect your understanding of each of the narrators? How did that understanding change when the point of view shifted? What caused those changes?
2. Malachi is not presented as a morally upright figure, despite his narration lending him the qualities of a protagonist. What about Olivia, however? Does she have antiheroic qualities? Discuss how she does or does not seem to be in control of some of the “darker” aspects of the text at various points.
3. How does the eight-year time jump between Parts 1 and 2 of the book affect the ending? How does Leigh Rivers present age and time as important elements in the relationship between Malachi and Olivia?
4. Which of the two protagonists changes more throughout the book? How do these changes inform the novel’s portrayal of who is the “main character”?
Creative Engagement
Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.
1. Malachi is referenced as having lots of tattoos, but the one that is specifically referenced is his spider tattoo. What other designs do you think he might have chosen for his other tattoos? Sketch out some designs and discuss why you think they’re appropriate for the character.
2. Before reading the synopsis (or the book itself), imagine what you think will happen in the sequel to Little Stranger, Little Liar. Next, read the synopsis of Little Liar. Has this changed your predictions? How?
3. Malachi attends therapy at the end of the novel. What do you think he discusses with this therapist? You don’t need a background in psychology to answer this question—instead, use your understanding of Malachi as a character to imagine what he might feel is something worth discussing.
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