We hope these questions help guide your group's discussion for this contemporary thriller. We’ve done our best to avoid spoilers, but don’t read these questions unless you’ve finished The Burn – you don’t want to risk ruining any reveals!
- Have you read The Farm by Jessica Mansour-Nahra? If so, how was it similar or different to The Burn?
- What do you think of The Burn cover? Do you find it evocative and complementary to the novel?
- What do you think of the dual timeline narrative, and how did this affect your reading experience?
- What genre/s would you describe The Burn as fitting into? What novels would you compare it to? Delve into genre specifics if applicable.
- Did you find the author’s depiction of the setting authentic? Is the setting similar or different to any places you’ve visited or lived in?
- Some of the core themes of The Burn include friendship, sibling relationships, climate change and anxiety, radicalisation, and the manosphere. Do you think the book illustrated these themes will? If so, how?
- Use a quote as a discussion catalyst
- How does Carmen grow and change as a result of the events of the novel? Did your opinion of her change as the book progressed?
- Did you see any of the book’s dramatic twists coming? Did any revelation surprise you more than the others?
- What did you think of the ending? Did it surprise you? Did you feel everything was resolved? What might the future look like for Carmen?
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A nerve-shredding psychological thriller that asks who and what we cling to when everything starts to burn, from the bestselling author of The Farm
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