Tell Me What You Did

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

1. Tell Me What You Did explores the moral gray area of revenge and self-defense-motivated crimes. Poe believes some murders are justified, while Hindley believes that all murders hold the same moral weight. Which opinion do you align with more, and why?

2. Do you enjoy any true-crime content? If so, did Tell Me What You Did make you reconsider any aspects of your relationship with true crime?

3. What aspects of Poe’s character did you find most and least relatable? Would you have responded the way she did in a similar situation?

4. In Chapter 99, Poe seems to speak directly to the reader when she says: “Simply put, whoever you are, I don’t give a shit what you think” (393). Did you find yourself judging Poe’s actions throughout the novel? If so, how did you react to this line?

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

1. Tell Me What You Did was published in 2025 and seems to be set in the mid-2020s. How does the novel’s setting affect the narrative? How differently might the plot have played out if it were set in 2015? What about 2005?

2. The Impact of True-Crime Media is a major theme of the novel. What commentary does the narrative offer on this cultural phenomenon?

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

1. Modern technologies such as the internet, cell phones, and live streams play a major part in the novel’s narrative structure. How does the presence of technology affect the narrative structure? How does it impact the overall message of the book?

2. How does Wilson blur the line between victim and perpetrator? What effect is achieved by his choice to cast Poe as a morally ambiguous protagonist?

3. Though sexual assault is not a component of the novel, Wilson implies a sexual motivation for Hutchins’ crime. Similarly, Hindley’s harassment of Poe contains a sexual undercurrent; he often references being alone with her, makes lewd remarks, and touches her without consent during their final confrontation. What role do gender and sexual dynamics play in Tell Me What You Did? How does the comment on the broader societal problem of violence against women?

4. In Chapter 98, Poe’s father is poised to kill Hindley. Poe intervenes, offering to kill Hindley herself. The reason she provides is that this will simplify a potential criminal trial. Based on the novel’s themes, do you believe this is Poe’s sole motivation for committing the murder herself? How does her choice tie into the themes of Vulnerability and the Weight of Secrets and Accepting Moral Ambiguity?