What Lies in the Woods Reading Guide & Discussion Questions

Book Club Discussion Questions

Print PDF

For supplemental discussion material see our Beyond the Book article, A Crowd-Sourced Tool for Solving Crime and our BookBrowse Review of What Lies in the Woods.

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

1. Naomi works as a wedding photographer, taking photos of joyful moments. Why do you think she chose this profession? Does she see these weddings as a kind of life she'll never attain, something she aspires to, or something else?
2. Olivia decides that it is time to tell the truth about Persephone, now that keeping Stahl in prison is no longer a consideration. Do you think she planned to tell the truth about what happened to Naomi as well, as Cassidy feared, or would she have continued to keep that part a secret?
3. A theme throughout the book is who owns the story of what happened that day, and who tells it. How have different people claimed the story, and with what goal? Does Naomi ever reclaim her story for herself?

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