How does the structural pattern of alternating epigraphs serve as an adjunct to or commentary on the main narrative? How would the novel be different without them?

How does Allie function as a portrayal of true-crime media? What does the novel suggest about the nature of true-crime fan communities?

How do the novel’s two antagonists—Leo Marsden and the Middle Fork of the Garnet River—interact? Does the river symbolize aspects of Marsden’s character, or is its purpose to reveal the character of the women?

How does The Last to Drown subvert or reinforce conventions found in other female-led wilderness survival thrillers, such as The River Wild?

How do the opposing online communities of Leo and Allie serve as a commentary on the social and psychological impacts of online subcultures more broadly?

Does the novel resolve the question of whether Parker’s voice is entirely a product of Kaia’s imagination? Does her recognition of third man syndrome as a psychological phenomenon preclude her belief that he is still with her?

What instances of foreshadowing and misdirection in Bryan’s characterization make his reveal as Leo Marsden both surprising and inevitable?

How does the women’s collective resilience serve as an ideological counterpoint to Leo’s misogyny?