Book Club Discussion Questions and Guide for We Can Never Leave by H.E. Edgmon

1. Before Bird leaves the Caravan in flashback scenes, their mother and Hugo are both desperate for them to stay. What do you think the motivations are for wanting Bird to remain with them, and how do you think their motivations differ from each other's?
2. Many members of the Caravan have animalistic features—Cal's fangs, Felix's ears, etc. What do you think these features represent about the characters they belong to?
3. Each member of the main cast has a distinct magical ability. Why do you think their powers manifest in those specific ways?
4. Where do you think members of the Caravan really come from? What do you think this represents, metaphorically?
5. Cal blames herself for accidentally envenoming someone when she was a baby. We later learn that Bird actually blames themself, on some level. Who do you think is really to blame for the death that occurred that night?
6. Eamon distrusts the Caravan, especially Hugo, but seems to have a soft spot for Felix. Do you think his feelings are misplaced or warranted?
7. Bird worries that they and Hugo are soulmates. At the end of the book, Hugo tells them, "This is how I love you without ruining you." Why do you think their relationship was doomed to play out this way?
8. This story takes classic tropes of victims and villains and inverts them, making us second-guess what we think we know. Who is set up to be a victim that you think is more of a villain? Who appeared to be a villain but was more of a victim?
9. Who do you think the ultimate antagonist of the story is? Why?
10. The ending is abrupt and ambiguous, leaving readers to question what happens beyond the last page. What do you hope happened to these characters? What do you fear may have happened to them?

Unless otherwise stated, this discussion guide is reprinted with the permission of Wednesday Books. Any page references refer to a USA edition of the book, usually the trade paperback version, and may vary in other editions.