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Book club questions for Everyone Here Is Lying by Shari Lapena explore the themes of trust, deception, and the unraveling of secrets in a seemingly idyllic neighborhood.
This is a twisty thriller with lots of folks not telling the whole truth.
I started with just a few chapters, but the story hooked me, and I couldn’t put it down. It’s so addictive! I love how she tells the story, and the ending was just perfect. I ended up ordering more of her books because I enjoyed this one so much
Let me know your thoughts about the novel! Feel free to comment below.
Everyone Here Is Lying by Shari Lapena
In this blog post you will find the discussion questions for Everyone Here Is Lying by Shari Lapena.
The discussion may also encourage book club members to discuss the portrayal of suburban life, the consequences of infidelity, and the psychological tension that builds as neighbors grapple with their own hidden lies.
Have a wonderful book club discussion! ✨
About the Author | Book Club Questions | Additional Recommendations
About the Story
Everyone Here Is Lying follows the story of William Wooler, a seemingly ordinary family man in the safe neighborhood of Stanhope. However, his life takes a dark turn when his extramarital affair ends in a tragic incident. When he returns home to find his nine-year-old daughter, Avery, unexpectedly home from school, he loses his temper. Later, Avery goes missing, and the once-safe neighborhood becomes a hub of secrets and lies.
As the Wooler family searches for Avery, witnesses emerge with information, but the reliability of their accounts is uncertain. The neighbors in Stanhope, each harboring their own secrets, become increasingly unstable. The central mystery revolves around finding out who took Avery Wooler and the shocking truth that will leave you on the edge of your seat.
About the Author
Shari Lapena is a bestselling author known for her gripping suspense novels. Before becoming a full-time writer, Shari worked as a lawyer and English teacher. She currently resides on a farm in Ontario with her husband.
All of Shari’s novels have achieved bestseller status, and some of her works include A Stranger in the House, Someone We Know, The End of Her, and more! Shari’s debut thriller, The Couple Next Door, became a global sensation, selling 4 million copies worldwide. It earned the title of WHSmith’s “Book of the Year” in 2016 and was the #1 Adult Fiction Title in the UK for 2017.
Shari’s literary works have been embraced internationally, selling in forty territories and sparking interest for film and TV adaptations. Her goal? To keep you hooked from the first page to the last!
Book Club Questions for Everyone Here Is Lying
Disclaimer: the following discussion questions contain spoilers, so proceed with caution if you haven’t finished the book yet.
- Discuss the relationships between the characters, especially the Wooler family and their neighbors. How do these dynamics contribute to the overall tension in the story?
- Deception is a central theme in the novel. Explore how various characters, such as William, Nora, and Marion, navigate lies and secrets. How does their deceit impact the unfolding events?
- Analyze the parenting styles of William and Erin Wooler. How do their approaches differ, and what role do their actions play in the events of the story? Consider the consequences of their choices on their children.
- Were you surprised by the twists and turns in the plot? Discuss the effectiveness of the author’s use of suspense and mystery throughout the novel. Did you have any predictions that turned out to be accurate?
- Michael blames himself for Avery’s disappearance. How does guilt play a role in the story, and do you think his feelings are justified?
- Delve into Marion’s character and her motivations. How does her unrequited love for William drive her actions, especially in relation to Avery? Do you find Marion’s character and her plan believable?
- The story is set in a suburban neighborhood. Discuss any social commentary the author might be making about suburban life, expectations, and the hidden struggles behind closed doors.
- How realistic did you find the portrayal of Avery’s character, especially considering her age and actions? Do you think a nine-year-old could be capable of the level of manipulation described in the book?
- The novel raises ethical questions about honesty, trust, and the consequences of one’s actions. How do the characters grapple with these dilemmas, and what are the ethical lessons learned from their experiences?
- Address the theme of abuse, both physical and emotional, in the story. How is it portrayed, and do you think the consequences for the abusers were adequately explored or resolved?
- Shari Lapena is known for her suspenseful writing. What techniques did she use to keep you guessing and engaged throughout the novel?
- Were there any particular scenes or moments that stood out to you as especially tense or thrilling?
- How would you compare this novel to literary works such as “Gone Girl,” “The Ransom of Red Chief,” and “The Bad Seed.” How do these comparisons enhance or detract from your reading experience?
- How did you feel about Avery’s desire for fame and the way she manipulates the situation for attention? Did it change your perception of her character?
- The ending of the novel has been described as abrupt. Discuss your feelings about how the story concludes. Were there any loose ends or unanswered questions that left you wanting more resolution?
Additional Recommendations
Hope you enjoyed the book club discussion questions and reading guide for Everyone Here Is Lying by Shari Lapena. Here are some more of my book club recommendations with themes related to this book, along with their synopses:
The Only One Left by Riley Sager
Bestselling author Riley Sager returns with a Gothic chiller about a young caregiver assigned to work for a woman accused of a Lizzie Borden-like massacre decades earlier.
At seventeen, Lenora Hope
Hung her sister with a rope
Now reduced to a schoolyard chant, the Hope family murders shocked the Maine coast one bloody night in 1929. While most people assume seventeen-year-old Lenora was responsible, the police were never able to prove it. Other than her denial after the killings, she has never spoken publicly about that night, nor has she set foot outside Hope’s End, the cliffside mansion where the massacre occurred.
Stabbed her father with a knife
Took her mother’s happy life
It’s now 1983, and home-health aide Kit McDeere arrives at a decaying Hope’s End to care for Lenora after her previous nurse fled in the middle of the night. In her seventies and confined to a wheelchair, Lenora was rendered mute by a series of strokes and can only communicate with Kit by tapping out sentences on an old typewriter. One night, Lenora uses it to make a tantalizing offer—I want to tell you everything.
“It wasn’t me,” Lenora said
But she’s the only one not dead
As Kit helps Lenora write about the events leading to the Hope family massacre, it becomes clear there’s more to the tale than people know. But when new details about her predecessor’s departure come to light, Kit starts to suspect Lenora might not be telling the complete truth—and that the seemingly harmless woman in her care could be far more dangerous than she first thought.
The Girl Who Was Taken by Charlie Donlea
The bestselling author of Twenty Years Later delivers a chilling thriller where nothing is at it seems and each reveal is more shocking than the last…right up to the jaw-dropping final twist.
Two abducted girls—one who returns, one who doesn’t.
The night they go missing, high school seniors Nicole Cutty and Megan McDonald are at a beach party in their small town of Emerson Bay, North Carolina. Police launch a massive search, but hope is almost lost–until Megan escapes from a bunker deep in the woods…A year later, the bestselling account of her ordeal has made Megan a celebrity. It’s a triumphant story, except for one inconvenient detail: Nicole is still missing.
Nicole’s older sister, Livia, a fellow in forensic pathology, expects that one day soon Nicole’s body will be found and her sister’s fate determined. Instead, the first clue comes from another body–that of a young man connected to Nicole’s past. Livia reaches out to Megan to learn more about that fateful night. Other girls have disappeared, and she’s increasingly sure the cases are connected.
Megan knows more than she revealed in her book. Flashes of memory are pointing to something more monstrous than she described. And the deeper she and Livia dig, the more they realize that sometimes true terror lies in finding exactly what you’ve been looking for…
All The Lies by Nicola Sanders
She thought he was the perfect husband. Now she’s running for her life.
On the surface, Amy and Jason have the perfect marriage, but Amy is trapped in a nightmare with a controlling, violent husband. Then on a short cruise without Jason, Amy befriends Liz, a young woman travelling alone on her way to meet her birth mother for the first time. Liz looks so much like Amy that they could be sisters.
When Amy regains consciousness after a terrible accident that takes the lives of many passengers, she finds that because of a mix-up in personal effects, everyone believes she is Liz. Only she knows it is Liz who has gone missing, presumed dead. Now, Amy has to make the most important decision of her life: tell the truth and return to a life of fear or become Liz for a while, until she figures out an escape plan.
But as Amy settles into Liz’s life, she finds that not everyone believes all the lies.
And she is only one mistake away from paying the price.
Happy reading! ❤️