Tiernan and Tierney’s traumatic childhood is a major subplot in the novel. How are flashbacks and details about this time deployed to set the stage for who they become as adults? To what degree are they able to overcome childhood trauma later in life?

Compare and contrast Don Vello Ferrante with Tyrone Callaghan. How are they similar and different as fathers? How do both men exemplify the patriarchal systems of control that typify the world of organized crime?

How do Lila and Tierney exemplify different modes of femininity within the novel? Analyze how details such as how their preferred fashion choices and color palates are used to characterize and distinguish the two women.

What does the subplot about the strained marriage between Luca and Sofia add to the novel? How does it reflect the exploration of communication, trust, and vulnerability within romantic relationships?

Achilles’s scars make his appearance frightening to many people, but Tierney finds him incredibly handsome. Analyze what the scars reveal about his inner nature and compare how his scarred appearance reflects a literary tradition where a character’s outer appearance does not align with his inner nature (consider for example, the Beauty and the Beast story, or Frankenstein).

Two impactful sexual encounters change the direction of the central relationship: the threesome with Alex, and the encounter wherein Achilles insists on emotionally intimate sex. How do these two encounters compare with their previous sexual connection? How is sexuality used in service of characterization?

Tierney is horrified that Enzo plans to go ahead with marrying Katya, even though he does not love or desire her. How does Tierney’s romantic idealism contrast with Enzo’s pragmatic perspective? Are both perspectives equally valid within a world shaped by political alliances?

What is the significance of the plot twist wherein Tristan Hale is revealed to be Don Vello’s illegitimate son? How does this twist set the stage for future conflicts in subsequent books in the series?