Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. What was your initial reaction to the novel’s prologue, which catalogs the many forms of death in Victorian society? How did this opening set the stage for you, and in what ways did Winifred’s story meet or subvert the expectations it created?

2. If you’ve read Bret Easton Ellis’s American Psycho, what connections did you see between Patrick Bateman and Winifred Notty? How does each character function as a satire of their respective society’s excesses and hypocrisies?

3. How did you experience the book’s blend of graphic horror and dark, satirical comedy? Were there moments you found genuinely funny, and how did that humor affect your response to the story’s more disturbing violence?

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

1. Winifred’s prim and proper exterior conceals her violent inner reality. This story constantly plays with the idea of a public versus a private self. Think about a time you’ve had to present a certain version of yourself that didn’t fully match how you felt internally. What does the novel suggest about the pressures of keeping up appearances?

2. The Pounds family and their guests live in a bubble of immense privilege, completely oblivious to the suffering that supports their lifestyle and the danger growing within their own home. Reflect on your position to this kind of lifestyle. Are you the kind of person who resents the Pounds for their insulation? Did the lifestyle of the Pounds help you to realize the limitations that privilege or comfort impose on your perspective?

3. Winifred is a sharp observer of the hypocrisy around her, noticing every cruel remark and self-serving action. What are some of the absurdities or contradictions in the world around you? How do you respond to them from day-to-day?

4. . How does the novel depict the experience of being an outsider? Have you ever felt like an outsider in a social environment, like your own home? What were the factors that influenced this feeling??

5. The rigid daily routines at Ensor House are described as crushingly tedious and repetitive. Think about the role of routine in your own life. When have routines felt comforting, and when have they felt stifling?

6. Drusilla quietly endures her family’s cruelty for years before finally snapping. Have you ever witnessed or experienced a situation where someone’s patience with injustice finally ran out? What did you learn from that moment about the breaking points people have?

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

1. Mr. Pounds’s obsession with phrenology is a key example of how pseudoscience was used to justify social hierarchies in the Victorian era. Where do we see similar attempts to use scientific-sounding language or questionable data to reinforce prejudices or claim superiority in society today?

2. The guide identifies Victorian Psycho as part of a recent “femgore” trend in literature. What might the rising popularity of stories featuring violent female protagonists suggest about our current cultural conversations surrounding female rage and power?

3. The mummy unrolling party treats colonial plunder and the desecration of a human body as sophisticated entertainment. What parallels can you draw between this Victorian spectacle and modern forms of entertainment that might rely on the exploitation or objectification of others?

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

1. How does Virginia Feito weaponize the tropes of the Gothic governess novel, particularly as seen in works like Jane Eyre? In what specific ways does Winifred’s character act as a complete inversion of the traditional, vulnerable heroine of that genre?

2. Winifred is a classic unreliable narrator who experiences hallucinations, like the talking baby and singing portraits. How did these moments of questionable reality influence your reading of the story? Did they make you doubt the events, or did they provide deeper insight into her psychological state?

3. Drusilla’s character arc moves from passive victim to active accomplice and, finally, to manipulative survivor. What is the key turning point in her transformation? What does her ultimate betrayal of Winifred reveal about the true nature of survival at Ensor House?

4. What symbolic weight do the pigments Mummy Brown and arsenic green carry throughout the story? How do these colors connect the novel’s central themes of death, beauty, and the commodification of human bodies?

5. The theme of systemic violence breeding interpersonal violence is central to the novel. Beyond Winifred’s final rampage, what are the most potent examples of the “civilized” cruelties practiced by the Pounds family and their guests?

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. If you were to create a “survival guide” for a new servant arriving at Ensor House, what would be your top three rules for making it through the Christmas holiday alive?

2. Imagine you are the defense lawyer in Winifred’s trial. Knowing she is guilty but wanting to make a point about the society that created her, what argument would you make to the jury? Which pieces of evidence from life at Ensor House would you present to make your case?

3. If a modern-day true-crime podcast were to cover the Ensor House massacre, what would the title of the series be? Which character would you most want to hear from in a “lost interview,” and what questions would you ask them?