Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. What surprised you about the plot twists and big reveals in the story? Did you guess any before they were revealed?

2. Discuss the ways Feeney incorporated different genre elements into the domestic noir genre. For example, did you like the inclusion of the crime investigation and the technological element of Thanatos?

3. How does this book compare to others by Alice Feeney or others in the domestic noir genre?

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

1. Discuss the moral and ethical compromises explored in the story. If a technology existed that could predict the day of your death, would you buy it and why?

2. Have you ever felt the need to conceal part of your personality to survive in a community, relationship, or workplace? How did that experience affect you?

3. The novel explores The Dangerous Illusion of Certainty. When have you been forced to question a belief you were previously sure of? How did this change your understanding of yourself or the world around you?

4. Have you ever lived in a small town? How does Hope Falls embody both the benefits and pitfalls of living in a remote, small community?

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

1. Consider Birdy’s decision to leave her family. How does her experience encapsulate the pressures society places on women to accept guilt and hold the family together?

2. How does Gabriella’s institutionalization expose the limitations of long-term care facilities and the vulnerability of patients who can’t speak for themselves?

3. Consider Birdy’s confusion between justice and revenge. How does the novel raise questions about the ethics of seeking justice outside the legal system?

4. Discuss how the existence of a company like Thanatos engages with the questions about the role of technology in society and the limits of these innovations.

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

1. Analyze the book’s rotating narrative structure. How does this affect the withholding and then the dissemination of truth?

2. Discuss the impact of hearing from Gabriella’s perspective and Jane’s. What does the addition of their voices add to the story?

3. Analyze Hope Falls as both the literal setting of the story and a symbolic presence. What does the town symbolize for different people like Birdy, Carter, and Eden?

4. Which characters are the victims of Gaslighting and the Manufacturing of Reality? In what ways is Feeney also using this tactic on the reader?

5. Discuss the frequent literary allusions to Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1818). Compare the two novels in relation to boundaries, ego, control, and isolation.

6. What do the hidden tunnels under Spyglass House symbolize?

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. Create a visual map of Hope Falls, marking significant places like Spyglass House, the cliffs, the beach, and Smuggler’s Inn. Discuss how Feeney uses place and geography in the story.

2. Research the traditions of Día de Los Muertos, such as masks and honoring the dead. Discuss the symbolism of setting the novel’s climax on this holiday.