The Listeners

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. The novel blends historical fiction with magical realism through the sentient sweetwater. How did this mix of genres shape your reading experience and your connection to the story?

2. Maggie Stiefvater is widely known for her young adult fantasy, like The Scorpio Races. If you’ve read her other works, how did you find her transition into adult historical fiction? What elements of her signature style did you recognize, if any?

3. What was your reaction to the climactic flood that destroys the Avallon? Did you see it as a tragic or a liberating event for the characters and the hotel itself?

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

1. June Hudson believes that true luxury isn’t wealth, but the manufactured experience of “living carefree.” Have you ever been responsible for creating a seamless or positive experience for others while managing chaos behind the scenes? What challenges did you face?

2. The tension between where you come from and where you are now is central for both June and Tucker. In what ways do people perform or downplay parts of their identity to fit into different social or professional environments in your own life?

3. Several characters, such as Chef Fortescue and Toad Blankenship, must provide service to people they consider their enemies. Under what circumstances would you be willing to work for or provide service to someone you found morally objectionable? What circumstances might cause you to refuse?

4. Communication at the Avallon often relies on unspoken words and deep listening. Thinking about your own relationships, how important is it to understand what is left unsaid?

5. Would you be comfortable as a guest at a hotel like the Avallon? What does your answer reveal about your personality, your experiences in the world, and your values?

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

1. The story is set against the little-known historical backdrop of Axis diplomats being interned in luxury American resorts. Did this historical context surprise you? How does it complicate the typical narrative of the American home front during World War II?

2. There are sharp class and cultural divides between the Avallon’s staff and its guests. At what kinds of locations can similar divides be seen in today’s world? Would you argue that people today are more or less sensitive to the moral issues inherent in this kind of setting?

3. Dr. Kirsch’s horrifying comments about eugenics bring the Nazi ideology into the sheltered world of the Avallon. What did the Nazis believe about naturally occurring human differences? Have ideas like Dr. Kirsch’s entirely vanished from today’s world?

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

1. Would you argue that the sweetwater functions as just an element of setting, or does it have some or all of the properties of a human character? Does it have agency? Desires and motivations? Individuality and personality?

2. The narrative perspective alternates primarily between June and Tucker. How does this dual point of view create tension and deepen your understanding of the story’s meaning?

3. Sandy Gilfoyle spends most of the novel in a feigned catatonic state. How does Stiefvater use his silence and stillness to build a powerful moral contrast to his brother Edgar’s self-serving actions?

4. How do the novel’s epistolary elements—the letters that frame the narrative and 411’s lists of demands—add verisimilitude and perspective to the narrative? How do they impact tone?

5. Moral compromise in wartime is a common theme in historical fiction, such as in Anthony Doerr’s All the Light We Cannot See. What makes The Listeners’s exploration of this theme unique?

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. If you had to design a personal sanctuary like 411’s suite, what key elements would you include to make it a self-contained world you could live in for decades?

2. Imagine you are on the Avallon’s staff and have just witnessed the climactic flood. Write a short journal entry describing the chaos, your feelings about June’s actions, and what you think will happen to the hotel now.

3. June’s final act is to lead Hannelore away to safety. What do you imagine their conversation was like on that journey, once they were clear of the hotel? What might June have said to comfort and empower the young girl?