The Scammer

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. What predominant emotion do you feel (unease, hope, anger, relief, or something else) after finishing the novel? Which moments most strongly shaped that reaction?

2. In what ways does this novel align with or diverge from other campus novels or YA psychological thrillers you have read, like Elin Hilderbrand’s The Academy or Holly Jackson’s A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder?

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

1. Have you ever been drawn to a person, group, or belief system during a time of vulnerability? What made it appealing, and what eventually caused you to question it, if anything?

2. Jordyn often tells herself she is staying connected to Devonte in order to “save” her friends. Have you ever justified staying in a harmful situation because you felt responsible for someone? How did Jordyn’s actions resonate with your own experience?

3. How did the plot twist, in which Jordyn admits that her attendance at Frazier is fueled by the need for revenge against Devonte and Vanessa, resonate with you? Have you ever pursued a morally ambiguous path for what you believed to be a righteous cause?

4. The novel offers illustrations of how grief manifests differently for everyone through its portraits of Jordyn and Nick. How do you process grief and loss? Does your experience resonate with or diverge from the characters’?

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

1. How does the novel complicate conversations about racial trauma, activism, and distrust of institutions, without dismissing these institutions’ historical roots?

2. How do Devonte’s actions complicate the role of universities as a safe space, specifically when Jordyn questions their inaction? What responsibilities, if any, do institutions like universities have when charismatic figures exploit students emotionally or financially? 

3. Through Devonte’s example, the book suggests that misinformation can still feel protective or empowering, even if, like Jordyn, you understand that it isn’t completely correct. Where do you see similar dynamics in today’s social and/or political climate?

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

1. Consider the author’s choice to tell the story from Jordyn’s first-person perspective. In what ways did the author intentionally mask Jordyn’s reliability? At what point did you begin to question Jordyn’s reliability as a narrator, if at all? How did that shift your understanding of earlier scenes? 

2. Devonte and Vanessa function differently as antagonists. Describe how they each impact Jordyn’s development and discuss how their unique characteristics serve as a source of anxiety, fear, and tension throughout the novel.

3. How does the novel use different types of relationships—including romantic, platonic, and communal—to illustrate them as both sources of healing and harm? 

4. How does Jackson balance suspense and emotional realism in the novel, particularly in scenes involving violence or psychological control? How do these moments impact the tone and mood of the novel?

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. If you were to make a film adaptation of The Scammer, who would you cast in the roles of Jordyn, Devonte, Nick, and Vanessa? Which elements of the story would you emphasize, which would you excise, and why?

2. Write an Epilogue to the novel that takes place at the end of the spring semester. How does the next semester impact Jordyn’s character? How are her relationships with characters like Nick, Loren, and her parents changed?