The Blue Hour

Content Warning: This section of the guide contains discussion of graphic violence and death

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. How did you react to the revelation that Grace, who initially seems like a reclusive, harmless woman, is actually responsible for multiple murders? How does this compare to other psychological thrillers in which seemingly benign characters reveal darker natures, such as Paula Hawkins’s The Girl on the Train?

2. The novel unfolds through multiple perspectives and non-linear storytelling. How did this structure affect your experience of the mystery and your emotional investment in the characters?

3. The Blue Hour refers to a liminal time, either just before dawn or just after dusk. How does this title reflect the themes, mood, and conclusion of the novel?

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

1. Vanessa chooses to live in isolation on Eris to pursue her art without distractions or compromises. Have you ever felt the need to withdraw from social connections to focus on personal goals or creative pursuits? What were the benefits and drawbacks of that choice?

2. The novel explores how ambition can both drive and destroy people. Think about a time when your own ambitions led you into a difficult or potentially dangerous situation. How did you navigate that experience?

3. Grace’s feelings of rejection and abandonment drive much of her behavior in the novel. When have you observed the power of these emotions in your own life or in the lives of people around you?

4. Both Becker and Grace experience deep insecurity despite their professional success. How do you reconcile external achievements with internal doubts in your own life?

5. Vanessa writes in her final diary entry that she’s grateful she “realized, in the nick of time, that [she] didn’t want to live the life [she] was expected to” (309). What societal or personal expectations have you challenged in pursuit of a more authentic life?

6. Throughout the novel, characters withhold information and construct specific narratives about themselves. How do you curate or construct the story of your own life? Where is the line between privacy and deception?

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

1. The novel notes that Vanessa was often described as “tricky, disagreeable, impatient, sullen, strident and single-minded” (38), and Helena points out that “single-minded and selfish are just synonyms for childless, in some circles” (56). How does society apply different standards to ambitious women versus ambitious men?

2. Eris, the tidal island where much of the novel takes place, functions as both a sanctuary and a prison. How do remote or isolated places figure in our cultural imagination, particularly for women seeking independence?

3. The art world depicted in the novel involves complex power dynamics between artists, gallery owners, collectors, and curators. How does the novel critique the commodification of art and artists’ identities?

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

1. Throughout the novel, Hawkins uses the technique of ekphrasis (verbal description of visual artwork). How do these descriptions of Vanessa’s paintings and sculptures enhance the themes and atmosphere of the story?

2. The island of Eris is both a setting and a symbol in the novel. What does the island represent for each of the main characters? How does its tidal nature (alternately accessible and cut off) reflect the novel’s exploration of truth and deception?

3. Consider the parallels between Grace and Emmeline. How does each woman’s relationship to violence reveal something about power, class, and gender?

4. The bone fragment that sets the plot in motion symbolizes how the past never completely vanishes. How does this compare to other mystery novels where hidden objects reveal truths, such as in Paula Hawkins’s A Slow Fire Burning? Where else do buried secrets resurface in The Blue Hour?

5. The novel alludes to Artemisia Gentileschi’s painting Judith Slaying Holofernes, depicting two women killing a man. How does this artistic reference enhance your understanding of Grace’s character?

6. Hawkins uses dramatic irony (when readers know more than characters) throughout the novel. How does this technique create suspense and affect your emotional response to Becker’s dangerous situation?

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. Write a brief diary entry from Vanessa’s point of view after discovering that Julian has disappeared (but before Grace confesses to killing him). What would she be feeling and questioning?

2. Design a new artwork that Vanessa might have created about her relationship with Grace. What medium would it use, what would it look like, and what title would you give it?

3. The novel ends ambiguously with Becker presumably drowning. Draft an alternate final scene that provides closure while maintaining the psychological complexity of the characters.

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