The Last House on the Street Reading Guide & Discussion Questions

Book Club Discussion Questions

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For supplemental discussion material see our Beyond the Book article, The SCOPE Project and our BookBrowse Review of The Last House on the Street.

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

1. The novel alternates between Ellie's perspective in 1965 and Kayla's perspective in 2010. How did the alternating timelines and voices impact your reading experience? Was there one perspective that you connected with more than the other?
2. In chapter 2, Ellie says "There are moments in life when you suddenly see your future and it's not at all what you expected." That statement resonates with the rest of Ellie's life. Can you describe a situation where this statement resonated with you?
3. The Last House on the Street touches upon several national current events in each timeline, for example: LBJ passing the Voting Rights Act in the 1965 timeline and the presidency of Barack Obama in 2010. How did reflecting upon the events in each timeline influence your reading experience?

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