Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. The novel blends supernatural horror with the grounded anxiety of economic desperation. How did this combination of otherworldly terror and real-world stress affect your reading experience and the story’s overall impact?

2. Marcus Kliewer’s career began on Reddit’s “r/NoSleep” forum, and this book draws heavily from the “rules horror” subgenre. If you’ve read his debut, We Used to Live Here (2024), or other Internet-based horror, like Dathan Auerbach’s Penpal, what elements of his style or genre conventions did you recognize? How does the format of online storytelling translate into a full-length novel?

3. The story ends on a bleak, cosmic note with Macy’s choice at the Windfall Bluff and the sun turning red. What was your reaction to this conclusion? Did you find it to be a fitting end to Macy’s journey, and why?

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

1. The Rites are David’s attempt to control a chaotic force, and Macy soon develops her own obsessive rituals, like constantly checking the locks. Do you similarly have any habits that you turn to when you feel yourself faced with an overwhelming situation? How effective is this habit in reassuring your worries?

2. Macy’s fierce need to protect Jemma is the driving force behind many of her riskiest decisions. Is there someone in your life you would make risky decisions for? How does this relationship help you contextualize Macy’s decisions?

3. Macy senses numerous red flags about the job but pushes past them for financial reasons. Have you ever had to weigh a gut feeling against a practical necessity? How did you reconcile the tension between these motivations?

4. Consider the way the novel portrays grief, and look to your experience to assess how the novel resonates with your personal understanding of grief. Do you feel the novel accurately represents grief as you know it?

5. The idea of inheriting a burden is central to Macy’s story as she becomes the new caretaker. In what ways have you seen this play out in your life? How did you deal with a responsibility that was unexpectedly passed down to you?

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

1. The Caretaker uses supernatural horror to explore the very real anxieties of economic precarity. In what ways does the entity’s entrapment of Macy mirror the traps of debt, housing insecurity, and the gig economy?

2. What commentary does the novel’s setting offer on class division? How does the contrast between the wealthy, isolated community of Brooksview Heights and Macy’s life in a repurposed motel heighten the story’s themes?

3. Do you see the entity and its arbitrary, punishing rules as a metaphor for any specific societal systems or pressures? If so, what do you think the author might be critiquing?

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

1. The Visitor is a psychological parasite that weaponizes grief and memory. How does this approach to the antagonist elevate the horror beyond simple jump scares or physical threats?

2. Discuss the symbolic meaning of the Rites. How does their meaning evolve from strange rules to symbols of control and catastrophic failure?

3. The novel purposefully blends old and new technology, from the analog VHS tape and rotary phone to the modern Ring app and Uber. How does this mix of technologies contribute to the story’s atmosphere and sense of dread?

4. How does the story’s first-person narration, limited entirely to Macy’s perspective, shape the reader’s understanding of the events and build suspense, especially when her grip on reality begins to fray?

5. In what ways does The Caretaker engage with and subvert tropes of the classic haunted-house story, like Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House?

6. A central theme is The Fragile Illusion of Control in a Chaotic World. Which scene or Rite failure best illustrates the futility of trying to impose human rules on a cosmic, chaotic entity?

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. David’s instructions are delivered through a VHS tape and sealed envelopes. If you had to create a “Caretaker’s Survival Kit” for the next person to take the job, what five essential items would you include, and why?

2. Imagine you are one of the mysterious callers on the rotary phone. What new, bizarre Rite would you invent and deliver to Macy during her first night at the house? What would be the stakes for failure?

3. The novel ends with the entity’s influence spreading beyond the property. What do you imagine happens next, both to Macy and Jemma and to the wider world now facing a “red sun”?