Thank you for picking Before She Was Gone for your book club. These questions talk about the whole book, ending included, so they're tucked away below until you're ready.
If your group is meeting nearby, I'd be glad to join you in person or on a video call. Send me a note.
Spoiler warning
The questions below give away major twists and the ending.
Discussion Questions
- The book opens with Claire saying, "I have always been good at knowing what I want." How did you feel about her in that first chapter, and how had that changed by the last?
- Each of the main characters makes a small choice they could explain away if anyone asked. Which of those choices bothered you most, and why?
- Tom wrote letters to Sarah for eleven years and never sent one. Were the letters his way of facing what happened, or his way of living with it without facing it?
- When Claire finds Tom's letters, she burns every one and puts the empty box back where he will find it. Why do you think she leaves the box? What does that tell you about how she deals with a threat?
- Reading Sarah's journal, Claire admits to herself, "I remember choosing them. I remember how good they were." What did that moment change for you about Claire, and about what happened to Sarah?
- Tom listened to every one of Sarah's messages and never called her back. Is choosing not to act its own kind of action? Where would you put his share of the blame?
- Quinn came to Wisteria Court with a plan to expose Claire. By the end, she makes a different choice. Did you agree with it? What would you have done with Sarah's journal?
- Claire and Tom tell their chapters in first person, and Quinn's are told differently until late in the book. Why do you think the author made that choice, and how did it change how much you trusted each of them?
- The title points to more than one woman. Who do you think it refers to, and in what way is each of them gone?
- Wisteria Court looks perfect from the street. What role do the neighbors play in the story? How much do neighbors really see, and how much do they choose not to?
- Nobody is arrested, and nothing goes public. Did the ending feel like justice to you? If not, what would justice have looked like?
- We mostly meet Sarah through other people: Claire's version, Tom's memories, and her own journal. Whose version did you believe, and why?
- The book started as a warning about what small actions can lead to. Is there a moment in your own life when an easy choice turned out to matter more than you expected?
This book deals with suicide. If you or someone you love is struggling, in the United States you can call or text 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org, any time of the day or night.