The House Across the Lake

1. General Impressions

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

• How did you feel about the book’s sudden genre shift? Do you think there were signs that the novel would take a supernatural turn early on, or were you completely surprised by this development?
• Discuss your impressions of Casey as a narrator. Did you trust her completely before her big secret was revealed? Why or why not?
• Sager frequently writes female protagonists in his novels. Compare and contrast Casey with Sager’s other thriller heroines.

2. Personal Reflection and Connection

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

• How have you dealt with the loss of a loved one, especially if your relationship with that person was complicated or unresolved?
• Casey is compelled to intervene when she fears that Tom has put Katherine in danger. What is your view on the right moment to intervene in somebody else’s life? Should you wait for a crisis point or act early to prevent it from happening?
• Discuss an experience or the experience of someone you know who has had to deal with an addiction. What were the factors that influenced their behavior? What does this suggest about the root causes of addiction?
• What role do secrets play in a marriage? Do you think it is possible for any relationship to exist without secrets?

3. Societal and Cultural Context

Examine the book’s relevance to societal issues, historical events, or cultural themes.

• The feminist movement has empowered women to show solidarity for each other, working to liberate those who are oppressed in relationships with abusive power dynamics. How might Casey’s journey suggest ways to make that empowerment reflexive, especially in the context of grief?
• How does social class play into the setting of the novel and the implied behaviors of its milieu? Does it make sense that Len, Tom, and even Casey could be capable of murder? How does class status inform their sense of morality?

4. Literary Analysis

Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and symbolism.

• How does the act of killing Len over and over again reflect the novel’s themes of grief and acceptance? Discuss the symbolism of Casey using a wine bottle to kill Len in Tom’s body.
• Discuss how the novel uses its speculative elements to help Casey resolve her relationship with Len in ways that otherwise wouldn’t have been possible in a realistic novel.
• Casey requires a pair of binoculars to see into the Royces’ house. On the other hand, she can easily hear the stray noise of Katherine’s scream from across the lake. What does this inconsistency suggest about the larger theme of secrets and the attempt to hide them from others?
• Although Casey is an actress, the novel takes place during a sabbatical period in her career. How does Casey’s life as an actress play into the stakes of the novel?

5. Creative Engagement

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

• Make a list of three to five actresses you might cast to play Casey in a film or television adaptation of the novel. How might your candidates’ off-screen personas play into the characterization of Casey? What does this say about the parasocial relationship between celebrities and their fans?
• Build a playlist of 5 to 10 songs that you would play if you lived in Casey’s lake house. How do your song choices evoke the mood of your surroundings? Do your song choices make you feel easier or anxious about the location?

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