Here is the official set of Book Club questions for The Perfect Guests:
Please note, these are intended as discussion points after the book has been read - they contain spoilers!
- In the early stages of Leonora’s relationship with Markus, she worries that she’s a bad person, and she hopes that Markus might help her ‘to change, to improve, to become more like him.’ Do you think Leonora’s desire to be a good person counts for anything? Is it fair to say that, in the end, it’s Markus who becomes more like her?
- Who was responsible for the cracks that formed in Beth and Nina’s
friendship? Do you think it was inevitable that things would go
wrong?
- Nina tells Beth, ‘My mother always loved this house more than she
loved me.’ Do you think that’s true? Does it fit with Leonora’s
behaviour when she ignores Markus’ instruction to phone the fire
brigade and rushes upstairs into thick smoke to search for Nina?
- Stephanie tried to be a good friend to Leonora, protecting Nina’s
identity and warning Leonora about Hendrik’s visits. Do you think
Stephanie did the right thing? If she’d decided not to keep
Leonora’s secrets, might the outcome have been better for Nina?
- Do you feel Leonora and Markus bear equal responsibility for the
initial ‘game’? Was it reasonable for them to assume it would be
harmless to Beth?
- If you could explore the life of one of the minor characters,
which would you choose?
- How do you feel about the choices Caroline made, both before Beth
was born and afterwards? Do feel any sympathy for her?
- In the aftermath of the 2019 events at Raven Hall, Beth says about
her childhood there: ‘Most of the time – it was a pretty wonderful
place to live’. Does this statement surprise you?
- Near the end, Sadie wonders whether it’s worse to be a targeted
victim of a crime, or to be thought of as collateral damage. What do
you think?
- What would you like to see happen at Raven Hall in the days and
weeks following the final chapter?
Here is the official set of Book Club questions for The Au Pair:
Please note, these are intended as discussion points after the book has been read - they contain spoilers!
- What were your feelings about Summerbourne as the setting for this story? Did you empathise with Seraphine's attachment to the house, or are you more like Danny as far as bricks and mortar are concerned?
- Seraphine tells us early on she's 'never felt much need for
friendships'. Do you think this might have been influenced by her
early childhood experiences? Do you think her attitude might have
changed at all by the end of the book?
- Laura says to Alex, 'We all did bad things, Alex. You, me, Ruth,
Dominic. Just because we haven't been arrested like Vera, doesn't
mean we got away with it.' Do you think all four of them carry an
equal amount of blame for their actions?
- Pregnancy denial is a real phenomenon. Did you pick up on clues
that Laura was pregnant? Have you come across other forms of
psychological denial, such as people refusing to acknowledge
problems in their relationships, jobs, health or behaviour?
- The Latin inscription at the folly translates as 'A precipice in
front, wolves behind.' Do you think this is an apt description of
the situation Laura finds herself in after the babies are born?
Could she have achieved a better outcome?
- When Vera admits she had initial doubts about the babies'
identities, Seraphine tells us: 'I try to embrace her (Vera's)
meaning: that it doesn't matter to her, that she loves us anyway.
But it's not enough. Her love for us doesn't give her the right to
hide the truth from us.' Do you agree? Do you have any sympathy
with Vera's desire to bring up the babies as Summerbourne twins
irrespective of where they came from?
- How did Michael's stories and the village gossip about the Mayes
family make you feel? Do you think rumours and gossip are
inevitable in any community?
- Do you believe Vera was guilty of all three of the crimes she
was charged with?
- If you could spend an afternoon on the Summerbourne patio with
any one of the characters from The Au Pair, which one would you
choose, and why?
- What do you hope the future might hold for Laura and Seraphine?
