Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. Think about your initial reaction to the novel’s blend of domestic influencer culture and supernatural horror. What expectations did this combination set up for you? In what ways did the story either meet those expectations or take you in surprising directions?

2. The novel is in conversation with classic feminist horror like Ira Levin’s Rosemary’s Baby. How did you feel about the ways Trad Wife updated or paid tribute to that tradition? What aspects of the horror felt familiar, and which felt distinctly modern?

3. Which aspect of Camille’s transformation did you find most unsettling: her physical deterioration, her acts of violence, or her final, chilling social media post? Why do you think that particular moment had such an impact on you?

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

1. Camille’s life is a performance, meticulously staged to fit the tradwife aesthetic for her online followers. Think about the pressures of presenting a certain version of yourself online. How did Camille’s experience resonate with or differ from your own relationship with social media?

2. Camille’s deep isolation begins long before the creature appears, fueled by her need for Graham’s and Mara Shoemaker’s approval. How do you navigate your sense of self-worth? Do you rely on other people’s opinions to help you understand yourself?

3. Camille once had a promising future in science, which she abandoned after facing criticism and patriarchal pressure. Have you ever felt a tension between your own ambitions and the expectations of family, a partner, or society? How did you navigate that conflict?

4. Camille wishes for a baby, but only to gain the approval of an online audience. Have you ever wanted something that you initially viewed as a stepping stone to a greater objective, but then later realized that you appreciated the smaller objective for its own sake? How did it affect your relationship with the greater objective?

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

1. The tradwife movement is a real and growing subculture on social media. What does the book reveal about the appeal of this lifestyle in today’s world? What kind of commentary is it making on the promises and perils of returning to so-called traditional gender roles?

2. In what ways do Graham and Camille’s father embody the theme of patriarchal isolation? How does the novel critique a system where men control finances, discourage female ambition, and expect subservience in the name of love and protection?

3. Camille’s final act is to use the camera, the tool of her oppression, to broadcast her monstrous liberation. What does her story say about the power of social media to both create and destroy identities in our current cultural moment?

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

1. How does the recurring motif of consuming raw meat and flesh track Camille’s transformation? At what point does her hunger shift from a pregnancy craving to a symbol of her monstrous power and rejection of the “pure” domestic life she once craved?

2. The farmhouse and the forest are set up as opposing domains in the novel. What is the significance of the contrast between Camille’s pristine, sterile house and the wild, untamed woods? How does her final choice to enter the forest with her new family resolve this central conflict?

3. Camille is an unreliable narrator whose perspective becomes increasingly warped as the story progresses. Were there specific moments when you began to question her interpretation of events? How did her narration affect your experience of the book’s horror?

4. What role does the creature play in Camille’s story? Do you see it as a villain, a savior, or something more ambiguous, and how does this interpretation shape your understanding of the novel’s conclusion?

5. The story fits into a contemporary subgenre of “monstrous motherhood” fiction, alongside novels like Rachel Yoder’s Nightbitch. How does Camille’s visceral transformation into a monstrous predator function as a metaphor for the primal rage and identity loss sometimes associated with modern motherhood?

6. What is the impact of Camille’s final social media post, “Fuck you, Mara Shoemaker. #tradwife” (301)? How does this act serve as the ultimate subversion of the influencer ideal she once worshiped?

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. Imagine you were tasked with creating a movie poster for an adaptation of Trad Wife. Which object or image from the book would you choose as the central focus: the well, the marble rolling pin, or Sweetheart’s white eyes? What would your choice communicate about the film’s tone?

2. Imagine Camille a year after the novel ends, living in the forest with her family. How has her life changed? Do you think she continues to enjoy her decisions to embrace her family with the creature?

3. Which minor character’s perspective would you be most interested in exploring in a short story set after the main events of the novel? Would you choose Rose, Graham’s affair partner, or perhaps Melody Lateef, Camille’s former classmate who tried to expose her online?