Tell Me Everything Reading Guide & Discussion Questions

Book Club Discussion Questions

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For supplemental discussion material see our Beyond the Book article, The History of the Sin-Eater and our BookBrowse Review of Tell Me Everything.

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

1. How does Elizabeth Strout use the character of Lucy Barton to explore the concept of empathy? What did you learn about your own capacity for radical empathy?
2. How does the murder investigation affect the dynamics between the characters, particularly Bob Burgess and Lucy?
3. Discuss the relationship between Lucy and her ex-husband, William. How does their past infl uence their current interactions? Have you ever been involved in a similarly complicated and shifting relationship, romantic or otherwise?

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