Kill for Me, Kill for You

In the novel’s final act, Cavanagh reveals that Ruth Gelman’s timeline occurs 11 years before the timeline involving Amanda White. How does Cavanagh tease this twist elsewhere in the novel? What clues and red herrings exist to guide or mislead the reader?

Consider Cavanagh’s depictions of grief in the novel. How do the various characters find different ways to address The Lasting Effects of Traumatic Experiences? How does Cavanagh use these differences to develop character?

The novel contains repeated references to Patricia Highsmith’s 1950 novel Strangers on a Train and Alfred Hitchcock’s 1951 movie of the same name. How does Cavanagh adapt the murder-swap plotline in the novel? How do his deviations from the source material impact the narrative?

Through the perspectives of characters like Ruth, Farrow, and Amanda, Cavanagh’s novel grapples with The Rehabilitation of Violent Offenders. Use examples from the text to argue the novel’s final position on the question of whether or not such rehabilitation is possible.

The novel takes place almost entirely in New York City. How does the city act as a character in the novel? How would the novel change if it were set in a different city? Use specific examples from the text to support your argument.

Ruth repeatedly compares her home invasion to the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. How does the motif of the 9/11 attacks function over the course of the novel to reveal Ruth’s interiority as a character?

Cavanagh’s dual plotlines converge on Thanksgiving Day, 11 years apart. Discuss the ways in which the author’s choice of the Thanksgiving Day Presidential Address as the backdrop for this convergence contributes to the novel’s overall meaning.

How does Cavanagh tease the revelation that Ruth and Wendy/Naomi are the same person? What clues exist to guide the reader to this realization? Use specific examples from the text to support your argument.