Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book. 1. What do you imagine happens to Nina one year after the novel’s conclusion? Outline or draft a brief epilogue. 2. If you could read a chapter from Elsie’s perspective as she observes Nina and Maggie over the years, what insights might she provide? 3. If this story were adapted into a film like Stephen King’s <a href="https://www.supersummary.com/misery/book-brief/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Misery</a>, which also explores captivity and psychological manipulation, what techniques would you use to portray Nina’s fugue states and the shifting power dynamics? Need more inspiration for your next meeting? <a href="https://www.supersummary.com/resources/#book-club-resources" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Browse all of our Book Club Resources</a>

Creative Engagement

Content Warning: This section of the guide contains discussion of graphic violence, death, death by suicide, child abuse, mental illness, and emotional abuse. Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book. 1. What was your initial reaction to the ending of the novel? Did you find Maggie’s decision to set fire to the house surprising and/or an appropriate conclusion to the work? 2. Did your sympathies shift between Nina and Maggie as the novel progressed? 3. John Marrs’s novel explores the consequences of family secrets, similar to Gillian Flynn’s <a href="https://www.supersummary.com/gone-girl/summary/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Gone Girl</a> or Paula Hawkins’s <a href="https://www.supersummary.com/the-girl-on-the-train/summary/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Girl on the Train</a>. Which elements of What Lies Between Us did you find most effective in creating suspense regarding those secrets?

General Impressions

Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and symbolism. 1. What effect does the non-chronological narrative structure have on the story’s suspense and reveals? 2. Which narrator did you find more credible, Nina or Maggie, and what textual clues informed your trust or distrust? 3. The novel uses the colors black and red to symbolize Nina’s violent episodes. What other symbolic elements did you notice throughout the story? 4. Analyze how the home functions as both a sanctuary and a prison for different characters throughout the novel. 5. How does the subplot of the potentially abused girl across the street serve as a mirror to Nina and Maggie’s relationship? 6. Why might Marrs have chosen fire as the method of the home’s destruction in the climactic scene?

Literary Analysis

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences. 1. Nina’s treatment of her mother parallels Maggie’s earlier control over her. What do you think causes cycles of behavior to repeat across generations in families? 2. What objects would you include in your own memory box if you created one like Nina’s? 3. Maggie justifies her deception as protection. What is your view on withholding information from loved ones for their own good? 4. What boundaries do you consider important in maintaining healthy relationships? 5. Both characters believe they are victims of the other’s actions. How does this mentality affect one’s perspective on life, in your opinion or experience?

Personal Reflection and Connection

Examine the book’s relevance to societal issues, historical events, or cultural themes. 1. Nina experiences fugue states during which she commits violent acts she cannot later remember. What responsibilities does society have toward individuals with mental health conditions?&nbsp; 2. The novel presents motherhood through various lenses: Maggie’s overprotectiveness, Nina’s desperate desire, and Jane Hopkinson’s adoptive relationship. Which cultural expectations about motherhood does the novel challenge or reinforce? 3. In what contexts do contemporary societies justify surveillance and control of others in the name of safety or protection?

Societal and Cultural Context

Relationships

Daughters & Sons

Family

Emotions & Behavior

Guilt

Mothers

Fiction

Psychological Fiction

Values & Ideas

Safety & Danger

Trust & Doubt

Truth & Lies

John Marrs

Adult

Novel

Guide

Study Guide

title

content

Overview

Get ready to explore What Lies Between Us and its meaning. Our full analysis and study guide provides an even deeper dive with character analysis and quotes explained to help you discover the complexity and beauty of this book.