Unmissing

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. Think about your reaction to the final chapters, where Merritt is revealed as the one behind the insurance scheme and kidnapping. How did this plot twist reshape your understanding of everything that came before it?

2. Minka Kent often explores characters whose identities are not what they seem, as in her novel When I Was You. How did Unmissing fit with or challenge your expectations of her work as a thriller author?

3. How did you feel about the novel’s resolution? Did Luca’s murder, Merritt’s arrest, and Lydia’s recovery feel like a just or satisfying end?

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

1. Merritt is obsessed with maintaining a perfect public image, a pressure many people feel today. Have you ever felt the pressure to be perfect? If so, how did you handle it?

2. Delphine offers Lydia help based on her intuition and kindness, without demanding Lydia’s full story. Have you ever been in a position to help someone without knowing all the details, or have you received help in this way?

3. The book’s plot is built on secrets. Have you ever kept a secret for fear that it would ruin your reputation—or someone else’s? If so, was the secret ever revealed?

4. Did you find Merritt’s character relatable? If so, how?

5. What did you think about Lydia’s choice to seek her own form of justice rather than immediately going to the police?

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

1. Lydia’s kidnapping and planned murder is conceived as a life insurance scheme. What does the novel’s focus on this kind of crime suggest about society’s relationship with financial success? What similar crimes can you think of in the real world?

2. How does the novel critique the ability of the police and law to protect individuals—particularly women—from serious threats? Does this resonate with society’s current views?

3. Merritt obsessively curates her family life, often relying on social media for affirmation. In what ways does her character comment on the modern pressure women face to perform domestic perfection? What are the potential dangers of this expectation?

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

1. The novel relies on the dual perspectives of Merritt and Lydia, who are both unreliable narrators. What specific moments made you start to question Merritt’s version of events? How did the author use this narrative structure to build suspense and manipulate your allegiances?

2. How does Luca’s persona evolve over the course of the novel? What are the first signs that he’s not the perfect husband Lydia and Merritt claim him to be?

3. The theme of a character returning from a long absence is a classic literary device. How does Lydia’s return in Unmissing compare to other stories you’ve encountered with this element, like Alexandre Dumas’s The Count of Monte Cristo? What makes Lydia’s return feel distinctively modern?

4. What is the dual significance of the farmhouse, first as a supposed sanctuary and later as the site of the Colettos’ violent collapse?

5. What is the role of Delphine DuBois in the narrative? How does her past inform her actions in the present?

6. Did you find Luca’s characterization as both a torturer and Merritt’s co-conspirator believable? Based on clues in the text, what else might Luca be hiding about his background?

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. If you were a journalist writing a feature on Lydia a year after the events of the book, what headline would you choose, and what angle would you take on her story?

2. If you could add a chapter from the perspective of Luca, Delphine, or Detective Rhinehart, whose would you choose, and what would it reveal?

3. Imagine you are designing a symbolic object that captures the essence of Merritt’s character. What would it be, and what would it represent?