Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. What was your experience reading a story-within-a-story? How did the nested narrative of The Midnight Estate affect your connection to Fiona’s investigation and the overall pacing of the novel? Did it add to or detract from your reading experience?

2. The novel blends elements of a gothic mystery, a historical drama, and a contemporary story about family healing. Which of these aspects did you find most compelling, and how do you think they worked together to create a cohesive whole?

3. This book is similar in some ways to the works of Kate Morton, who also often uses decaying houses to unearth family secrets in novels like The Secret Keeper and The Lake House. How does The Story Keeper’s focus on Australian colonial history and coercive control set it apart from other books you may have read in this genre?

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

1. Fiona returns to Wurimbirra to rebuild her life, calling it the one place that always feels like “home.” Think about a place from your own life that holds a deep sense of identity or belonging for you. What makes a place feel like home to you? 

2. Tad acts as the “story keeper,” using his novel to preserve a truth he couldn’t speak aloud. In your own family or community, who are the story keepers? 

3. Fiona’s background as a historical architect informs the way she chooses to approach the restoration of Wurimbirra. How do her views on history and preservation intersect with your own? Where do you find the balance between preserving history and modernizing?

4. The emotional distance between Fiona and her mother, Ginny, is central to the story. Think about a time you’ve found it challenging to communicate with someone from a different generation. What obstacles did you face, and how did you bridge the gap?

5. Jack’s steady and uncomplicated friendship provides Fiona with a source of comfort and stability. Do you have a friend who supports you in this way? What role do you think old friendships play for people who are navigating major life changes?

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

1. The novel grounds the rumors of Wurimbirra’s haunting in the real history of a massacre of Wiradjuri people. What does the book suggest about how a nation’s violent past can continue to affect the present? How do communities remember or suppress such difficult histories?

2. Discuss the portrayal of Marie’s story within The Midnight Estate as an illustration of coercive control. How does the novel contribute to contemporary conversation about different forms of abuse, and how has our understanding of this issue changed since the time period portrayed in the novel? 

3. What statement is the author making about the importance of advocacy through Fiona’s discovery of the organization “Jennifer’s Voice”? How does this plot point reinforce the novel’s argument about naming and challenging forms of abuse that were once dismissed as private family matters?

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

1. Discuss the significance of the daisy ring as both a plot device and a thematic element. How does it function to connect the past and present?

2. Tad wrote The Midnight Estate under a female pseudonym, Charity Wilkie. What do you make of this choice? How does it influence your interpretation of his role as the storyteller and his motivations for revealing the family’s secret?

3. The cemetery at Wurimbirra contains the evidence of both colonial violence and the family’s private crime. How does Rimmer use this setting to layer different forms of historical trauma and connect them to the land itself?

4. How do the parallel character arcs of Fiona and Ginny/Jennifer reflect each other? What does Fiona’s journey of restoring the house reveal about Ginny’s/Jennifer’s journey of surviving her past?

5. With its portrayal of Silas’s decision to help Marie cover up Rupert’s death, what does the novel suggest about justice?

6. The theme of buried family secrets is common in literature, such as in Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner, where a hidden truth shapes the lives of all the characters. How does Tad’s decision to reveal the secret through a novel, rather than a direct confession, change the dynamic of how the truth comes to light in The Story Keeper?

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. The story concludes just as Fiona is about to call Rowan. Imagine you are writing the next chapter. What do you think happens during that first phone call between Jennifer and the brother who thought she was dead for 50 years?

2. If you were tasked with adapting The Story Keeper into a movie, how would you structure the film to accommodate both the main narrative and the events of The Midnight Estate? Consider a few different approaches; what would be the advantages or disadvantages of each approach in telling the story on screen?

3. Imagine you are Fiona and have just inherited Wurimbirra. Now that you know its full history, from the massacre of the Wiradjuri people to your own family’s secrets, how would you go about restoring the estate in a way that honors all of its stories?