The Night She Disappeared

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

1. What “red herrings” from the novel worked most effectively to mislead you? Did you suspect any of these clues of being red herrings when they appeared in the plot?

2. Which of the three perspectives did you find most compelling, and why?

3. People like Liam and Tallulah are often subjected to peer pressure. Why is peer pressure dangerous? What are your own past experiences with peer pressure?

4. Do you understand Sophie’s motivation for looking into the disappearances of Tallulah and Zach? What would you do in her situation?

5. To pursue a thematic focus on class and wealth, the novel explores England’s unique culture of social class. Was this culture familiar or unfamiliar to you? Were you surprised by the ways in which class affects narrative elements like characterization?

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

1. The term “web sleuths” denotes online communities of amateur detectives who use social media and the internet to investigate crimes. Over the years, these communities have been both praised and criticized. Sometimes, web sleuths have successfully identified suspects and victims and have aided in the resolution of crimes, while at other times, their misidentifications have had serious ramifications for the investigation. Does the novel romanticize or criticize the concept of the web sleuth? What are the consequences of this depiction?

2. How does this novel depict sexuality in relation to psychological manipulation? What are some ethical ramifications of giving sexual or romantic undertones to the relationship between Scarlett and Tahlullah, but ultimately casting these undertones as part of Scarlett’s selfishness and manipulation?

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

1. How does the narrative structure—three narrators, in three temporal settings—affect the pacing and tone of the novel?

2. How is the concept of motherhood important to the tone of the novel and the development of its characters? Consider the mother-child relationships between Kim and Tallulah, Tallulah and Noah, and Joss and Scarlett.

3. All three point-of-view narrators are women. How does this fact affect the novel’s themes and character development?

4. How does the novel juxtapose instances of physical, psychological, and emotional abuse? What broader rhetorical purposes does this approach serve?