Nightbitch

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

1. Have you ever felt overwhelmed by the expectations of your role as a parent, partner, or professional? How does your experience compare to that of the protagonist? Did the book’s exploration of motherhood and the pressures placed on women resonate with you?

2. Reflect on a time when you felt unseen or unheard. How did that experience shape you, and how did you reclaim your voice?

3. Nightbitch’s transformation is an expression of repressed emotions and desires. Have you ever felt the need to embrace a different, more instinctual side of yourself? What would that look like for you?

4. Discuss how art and creativity are an outlet for the protagonist. What creative or personal pursuits help you express yourself or process your emotions?

5. Do you interpret Nightbitch’s transformation as literal or metaphorical? How did your interpretation of the line between fantasy and reality influence your reading of the novel?

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

1. Consider the novel’s critique of the societal expectation that women be self-sacrificing and always in control. Where and how does this pressure manifest?

2. Discuss the novel’s exploration of the tension between domestic life and personal ambition. What societal measures could help alleviate this tension, if any?

3. Explore Nightbitch’s transformation as a challenge to traditional notions of femininity and human behavior. How does the novel engage with feminist discourse on bodily autonomy and identity?

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

1. Analyze the novel’s structure and narrative voice. What is the effect of the second-person address used in specific passages?

2. Discuss the evolution of Nightbitch’s expression of suppressed female rage. How is her transformation both a rebellion against and fulfillment of societal expectations of motherhood? What is the broader role of animal imagery in the novel?

3. Trace the role of the husband in Nightbitch’s journey. What is the significance of his acceptance of her transformation?

4. Explore the role of art and storytelling in the novel, particularly as it relates to the performative nature of being a person in the world.

5. Discuss the use of magical realism to explore the protagonist’s psychological state. How does the blend of fantasy and reality contribute to the novel’s thematic exploration of womanhood and femininity?