On a Quiet Street

1. General Impressions

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

• How does the domestic thriller show women as being united with one another against the violence they may face from the men they love (or are supposed to love), such as husbands or sons?
• Do you feel that justice is adequately served at the end of the novel? Why or why not?
• How did plot twists affect your reading experience? Did you ever feel that you knew the answer to the mystery of who killed Caleb? Were you right or wrong?

2. Personal Reflection and Connection

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

• Have you ever been curious about your neighbor’s lives? What sparked this curiosity?
• Would you ever relocate (or have you ever relocated) for a romantic partner? Discuss why you think this is a worthwhile risk or one that you would not take.
• The main female characters in this novel rely on other women in their lives for strength, support, and affection. What female friendships bring you succor? What value do you get from those relationships?
• Paige forgives Nicola and protects her, even after knowing Nicola killed Caleb. Do you think you would be able to forgive someone who harmed someone you love, even if they had reasonable motivations?

3. Societal and Cultural Context

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

• Does the novel indicate that morality has a gendered aspect? What does this say about how different genders are encouraged to act in their interpersonal relationships? Do you feel that the novel accurately represents how these expectations play out in the real world?
• The characters who use “crazy” as a derogatory term are portrayed as immoral in the novel. Does this reflect a growing acceptance of mental illness, an abiding stigma, or both?
• Different characters regularly call women “crazy” to dismiss their concerns. Have you seen this happen in the real world? If so, how and to what effect?

4. Literary Analysis

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

• What kinds of small acts of cruelty does the novel show Finn perpetuating against Cora or Lucas against Nicola? Are these smaller cruelties shown as worse than, equal to, or less terrible than some of the greater crimes that men perpetuate against women in the novel (such as Caleb firing a gun at Nicola)?
• Does the novel universally present infidelity as an unfair betrayal of one’s partner? Consider, for example, Nicola’s affair with Caleb. Does the novel suggest she is justified?
• How does the mystery get revealed different in the third-person versus the first-person point of view sections? Did one type of POV offer you more information about the mystery, setting, contest, or any other part of the story over the other?
• What does it say about Nicola’s abuse and mental state that she adopts the “Georgia” nomenclature to title her sections until late in the novel?
• The novel uses dramatic irony, a situation in which the reader knows more than different characters do. How does, for example, Cora’s perspective create suspense differently from the “Georgia” point of view chapters?

5. Creative Engagement

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

• Domestic thrillers are popular sources of television or film adaptation (for example, Liane Moriarty’s Big Little Lies). How would you cast On a Quiet Street if it were adapted? Would you turn it into a movie or a longer format, like a miniseries?
• Imagine how the novel would have been different if Paige didn’t forgive Nicola and turned her in for Caleb’s murder. How would other characters have been impacted by this decision?

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