BKMT READING GUIDES
Not That I Could Tell: A Novel
by Jessica Strawser
Hardcover : 336 pages
7 clubs reading this now
2 members have read this book
"Full of slow-burning intrigue, Strawser's second novel will appeal to fans of Liane Moriarty's Big Little Lies and Jennifer Kitses' Small Hours." ?Booklist
*Book of the Month Club Selection
An innocent night of fun takes a shocking turn in Not That I Could Tell, the next page-turner from ...
Introduction
"Full of slow-burning intrigue, Strawser's second novel will appeal to fans of Liane Moriarty's Big Little Lies and Jennifer Kitses' Small Hours." ?Booklist
*Book of the Month Club Selection
An innocent night of fun takes a shocking turn in Not That I Could Tell, the next page-turner from Jessica Strawser, author of Almost Missed You.
When a group of neighborhood women gathers, wine in hand, around a fire pit where their backyards meet one Saturday night, most of them are just ecstatic to have discovered that their baby monitors reach that far. It’s a rare kid-free night, and they’re giddy with it. They drink too much, and the conversation turns personal.
By Monday morning, one of them is gone.
Everyone knows something about everyone else in the quirky small Ohio town of Yellow Springs, but no one can make sense of the disappearance. Kristin was a sociable twin mom, college administrator, and doctor’s wife who didn’t seem all that bothered by her impending divorce?and the investigation turns up more questions than answers, with her husband, Paul, at the center. For her closest neighbor, Clara, the incident triggers memories she thought she’d put behind her?and when she’s unable to extract herself from the widening circle of scrutiny, her own suspicions quickly grow. But the neighborhood’s newest addition, Izzy, is determined not to jump to any conclusions?especially since she’s dealing with a crisis of her own.
As the police investigation goes from a media circus to a cold case, the neighbors are forced to reexamine what’s going on behind their own closed doors?and to ask how well anyone really knows anyone else.
Discussion Questions
1. Clara and Benny differ on whether their neighbors’problems are any of their business. Which one of them
is right? Is it possible that they are both right?
2. What do Izzy and Paul have in common? What
parallels can you draw between their individual stories,
and where do those lines diverge?
3. Izzy forces herself to absorb the horrible stories in her
newsfeed; Randi and Rhoda identify as “citizens of the
world” but also proclaim their willingness to retreat
into a “happy little bubble.” Do you think it’s healthy
to be able to compartmentalize tragedy, or is it more
important to be keenly aware of what’s happening
around us, even when it’s ugly?
Book Club Recommendations
Recommended to book clubs by 3 of 3 members.
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