52 pages • 1 hour read
Kody KeplingerA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
The survivors are frequently named as a group. What direct or indirect characterization techniques does the author employ to individualize each survivor? How does the group identity both help and hinder the survivors in their journeys toward healing?
That Coach Nolan’s victim portrait comes last in the series might be explained by its proximity to Miles’s letter, in which Coach Nolan plays a significant role. Why, though, might the author have chosen Lee to write Coach Nolan’s portrait instead of Miles? What does this say about Lee and Miles’s closeness?
The shooter is never named in Lee’s narrative and his name is redacted from others’ writing. What impacts might be intended from the choice to never name the shooter?
The novel mostly focuses on relationships between peers. In what ways does the novel occasionally focus on relationships between family members? What connections to themes can be drawn? Consider Rosi and Eden, Lee and her mother, and Sarah and her parents.
Consider the sequence of each survivor’s letter given to Lee. How does the timing and order of the letters drive the plot?
What does the spot in the woods where Denny, Miles, and Lee go on the third anniversary of the shooting and after graduation represent to them? Why is it important that they have a place of their own that no one else knows about? What does this say about the nature of healing after tragedy?
The overall conflict involves Lee’s desire to reveal a more truthful account of the shooting. What additional details show the long-term effects of the shooting? How do these details help with characterization, and how do they complement the plot?
Prom, often considered a rite of passage, does not end well for Lee and Miles. What ideas are symbolized by their choice to attend prom together, the events of the prom, and the way the night ended? How does prom help move the narrative forward?
Lee is characterized—for the first time—as smiling and at ease when she gives Kellie the USB drive. Is it more likely that Kellie’s perspective imparts this view of Lee, or that giving away control of the compilation lightened Lee’s burdens? If your answer is a split of both reasons, provide your rationale.
What is ironic about the behavior of adults in the novel, especially those in leadership or authority roles such as Detective Jenner or Brother Lloyd? What does this say about The Role of Stereotyping in Shaping Narrative?
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