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1. Then She Was Gone is, first and
foremost, a mystery. Yet many questions are answered quite early on in
the book. How soon did you guess what really happened to Ellie, and if
you did, did it affect your enjoyment of the book?
2. In the prologue, it says "Looking at it backward it was obvious all
along." Now that you’ve finished the novel, do you agree? What "warning
signs" referred to in the prologue might Ellie have spotted if she’d
been more aware?
3. Did you think Lisa Jewell’s portrayal of Laurel and her journey was
realistic? Could you relate to the way she dealt with her grief, or did
you find it alienating?
4. What was your impression of Poppy when she is first introduced? Did
this change over the course of the book, and if so, how?
5. Then She Was Gone is divided into six parts. Why do you think
Lisa structured the book this way? How would you categorize each
section—what makes it distinct from the other parts of the book?
6. For much of the book, Laurel and her daughter Hanna have a fraught
relationship as Laurel fails to let go of unfavorable comparisons
between Hanna and Ellie. Do you think it’s normal to have a favorite
child? How should parents handle these feelings if they arise?
7. Throughout the novel, Laurel has moments in which she feels something
is not quite right, but often writes it off as paranoia as a result of
losing her daughter. Have you ever written off your own concerns? How
can you distinguish between when you are being pessimistic, and when you
should trust your intuition?
8. There are four different perspectives shown in the book, but only
Noelle and Floyd’s narration are in first person. Why do you think Lisa
chose to write their chapters in first person, directly addressing other
characters, while Laurel and Ellie’s chapters were told through third
person? What effect did this have on you as you read?
9. Floyd and Noelle are both characters with some obsessive tendencies.
What other similarities do they share, and in what ways are they
different? Were you able to sympathize with either or both of them?
10. In chapters from Ellie’s perspective, she repeatedly brings up the
subject of blame, thinking of all the moments that led to what happened
to her and what she "should" have done differently, or what others could
have done to save her. As you read, did you find yourself blaming
characters for the unforeseen consequences of the choices they made? If
so, in which situations?
11. At the end of the book, Laurel notes that she "hasn’t told Poppy the
full truth" (page 351) about everything that happened. Do you think she
ever will? How would Poppy react to learning the secrets of her
background?
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