Fake ID

WITSEC forces people to abandon their previous lives. What effect has this requirement had on Nick? On Donna?

Why are Nick and his parents the novel’s only Black characters? If Giles is interested in writing about the lives of specifically Black teens, why does the novel not include any other Black students, administrators, teachers, or townsfolk?

Compare the novel’s parents. How are James and Donna, Mayor Burke, and Mami similar in the way they treat their children? How are they different? How do the actions of the older generation reflect on their offspring?

Examine the novel’s use of traditional coming-of-age tropes, such as the bully Zach, the cheerleader love interest Reya, the unhelpful teachers, and the romance plot. Does Giles transform or subvert these tropes? Why or why not?

Consider race in the novel. The white, indulged Dustin surrounds himself with peers from less privileged backgrounds—Eli, Lorenz, and Pilar are Latinx, while Nick is Black—many of whom he eventually mistreats or kills. How does Giles use race to explore power dynamics between these teenagers?

Discuss the idea of trust in the novel. Nick mistrusts most people but learns to rely on others. Meanwhile, many characters, including Nick, deceive each other. Why is honesty so hard to come by in the world of the novel?

How does Giles adopt the tropes of the noir detective genre to his high school setting? Which elements of this storytelling mode can be transposed unchanged? Which need to be adapted, and why?

What does the novel’s title mean? Why did Giles name his book Fake ID?