Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. The story sets up a high-stakes ghostwriting competition on a remote Scottish island. How did this initial premise shape your expectations for the novel? In what ways did the story’s twists and turns either satisfy those expectations or lead you somewhere completely unexpected?

2. How did you feel about the novel’s structure as a locked-room mystery? Have you read classics of this genre, like Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None, or more modern examples like Lucy Foley’s The Guest List? How do you think The Ending Writes Itself uses or subverts the traditional rules of that format?

3. What was your overall reaction to the book’s blend of dark satire and thriller? Did you find one aspect more effective than the other, and how did the tone influence your experience of the story’s suspense and its critique of the publishing world?

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

1. Many characters in the novel adopt performative personas to mask their professional insecurities, like Jaxon’s hyper-masculinity or Millie’s cheerful online brand. Can you think of a time in your own professional or social life when you felt the need to project a certain image to hide vulnerability or fit in?

2. What did you make of Sienna and Malcolm’s creative partnership? Think about a time when you’ve collaborated on a project. What challenges did you face in balancing individual contributions with a shared goal, and how does your experience compare to the dynamics of “Penn Stonely”?

3. Millie struggles with the pressure to maintain a commercially successful author brand, even though it conflicts with her earlier ambition to write literary fiction. Have you ever felt a tension between a personal passion and the practical demands of a job or public expectation? How did you navigate that balance?

4. Before his death, Jaxon finally overcomes a severe case of writer’s block while locked in his room. What did you think about the conditions that led to his breakthrough? Have you ever experienced a creative or professional block, and what strategies helped you move past it?

5. Kenzo is unique among the authors because he maintains a “day job” as a forensic technician, which he keeps secret to avoid judgment. This gives him a different perspective on the competition. In what ways do you think balancing a practical career with a creative pursuit can be an advantage or a disadvantage?

6. What did the concept of being a “midlist” author bring to mind for you? Have you ever felt stuck in a professional middle ground in your own life, and how did that feeling influence your ambitions or your sense of satisfaction?

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

1. The novel opens with a real-world copyright notice against the use of its text to train AI, and Cate’s confession reveals that she used AI to write her manuscript. How does the book’s exploration of the issue contribute to contemporary conversation about creativity and intellectual property in the age of generative AI?

2. How does the novel’s depiction of the publishing industry, with its frantic chase for bestseller status and the influence of social media, reflect broader pressures that you see on creators in other fields today?

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

1. How did you react to the reveal of Cate’s motivations, which are rooted in her mother’s failed writing career and a deep cynicism about the industry? Does her backstory make her a more complex character, or is it simply a justification for her villainy?

2. The main narrative is punctuated by interludes like Malcolm’s award speech draft and Millie’s MFA application letter. What did this structural choice add to your understanding of the characters’ inner lives and secret histories?

3. What significance does the dollhouse hold in the story? How does its meaning and role in the plot evolve over the course of the novel?

4. The novel functions as both satire and thriller, similar to R. F. Kuang’s Yellowface. How does the author use the conventions of a murder mystery to explore and critique issues like artistic integrity, ambition, and industry corruption?

5. Why do you think Clarke chose to have Arthur Fletch’s novel, The Last Gasp, released unfinished? What commentary does its resulting success offer on the nature of authorship, legacy, and the commercialization of art?

6. The story is filled with characters who perform a public-facing role, from Ava’s undercover identity as “Priscilla” to Holden’s inept portrayal of a posh editor. Which character’s performance did you find most compelling or revealing, and how did it intersect with the novel’s examination of authenticity and artistry?

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. The ending of Fletch’s novel is left to the reader’s imagination. If you were one of the writers in the competition, what kind of conclusion would you have written for The Last Gasp based on the clues given in the story?

2. If you were adapting The Ending Writes Itself into a film, which character’s perspective do you think would be the most interesting to center the story around? How would focusing on someone other than Sienna, Malcolm, or Ava change the narrative?

3. Imagine you’re designing the book cover for Kenzo’s best-selling novel, a fictionalized account of the events on Skelbrae. What imagery or symbols from his experience would you feature to capture the book’s horror and its satirical edge?