The Only One Left

1. General Impressions

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

• Did you see the final plot twists of the novel coming? What clues in the text led you to expect them?
• Which characters did you most empathize with and why? Do you think any characters redeemed or condemned themselves by the end of the novel?

2. Personal Reflection and Connection 

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

• Were you ever suspicious of any of the characters’ stories? What made you trust or doubt certain characters over others?
• Did you initially believe the story perpetuated about Lenora Hope? What did you first think actually happened with the Hope murder?
• How did you feel when you realized Lenora was actually Virginia? How did it change your view of her character?
• Do you think Ricky would have turned himself in if his daughter had been charged with the death of her mother?

3. Societal and Cultural Context 

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

• What does the novel suggest about the relationship between women and caretaking? How do different women in the novel take care of one another in different ways, whether they want to or are just expected to?
• How does the novel tackle issues about women’s roles in the 1920s and the 1980s? What differences and similarities do you notice between how women are treated in these times?

4. Literary Analysis 

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

• How does Sager explore the act of communication in the novel? In what unique ways do characters communicate with one another?
• Did you find Kit to be a reliable narrator? What about her storytelling made you come to your conclusion?
• Is Hope’s End the setting of the novel, or does it have any symbolic or thematic significance? Are the characters impacted at all by their physical surroundings?
• How does the schoolyard rhyme about the Hope murder contribute to the tone of the novel? What does it say about the way the story is perceived outside Hope’s End?
• What do the family portraits of all the Hopes reveal about each character? What do they conceal about the family and its secrets?
• Do you think all of the characters get what they deserve at the end of the novel?

5. Creative Engagement 

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

• If you were in Kit’s shoes, how would you try to get your patient to confess her story? If you were in Virginia’s shoes, how would you communicate that you were not who everyone thought you were?
• If you had lived your life as Virginia did, what would you do after your secrets came out?

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