The Fury

1. General Impressions

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

• The Fury is a locked room mystery, a popular fiction genre that features a murder among an isolated group of characters. In your opinion, how does The Fury compare to other similar locked room mysteries in print and film?
• Through Elliot, Michaelides tells the story in layers through repeated retellings. Did this strategy add to or detract from your reading experience?

2. Personal Reflection and Connection 

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

• The novel explores the concepts of fate and destiny. Do you believe in destiny? Are our lives determined by fate or free will? 
• How did Elliot’s point of view and unreliability as a narrator affect your reading experience?
• Lana’s private island in Greece is a luxurious setting for the novel, but it is also steeped in Greek culture. Did the choice of Greece as a setting affect your reading experience? How could another setting have changed the book?
• Consider Lana’s struggles with fame and happiness. How does her position illustrate a real-world problem? Are you sympathetic to Lana? 

3. Societal and Cultural Context 

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

• Class is an integral part of The Fury, as the characters range from the working-class caretaker to a celebrity actress. How does Michaelides explore class in the novel?
• Now more than ever, society is aware of the relationship between fame and happiness. How does Michaelides explore this complicated issue through the characters of Lana and Kate? 

4. Literary Analysis 

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

• Discuss Michaelides’s use of classic mystery genre conventions in The Fury. Where does he stay close to classic mystery authors like Agatha Christie, and where does he subvert these conventions?
• Michaelides structures his novel in Acts, like a play, retelling the story in each act and revealing more information with each telling. Discuss the way this strategy functions in the narrative and whether it is successful.
• Michaelides sets The Fury in Greece and takes advantage of both the physical environment and the cultural history and mythology. How does he use Greek history and mythology to deepen the thematic meaning of the novel?
• In The Fury, Michaelides explores storytelling and structure, as well as what makes a good story. Discuss this exploration, considering how Elliot’s love of story and his writerly aspirations contribute.
• How does Michaelides explore the concept of the hero, including the traditional Greek concept of the tragic hero? Who is the hero of this story, and how do they fulfill the tropes of the role? 
• Elliot is a complex and ambiguous character. What was your initial reaction to him? How did your understanding of and sympathy for him change over the course of the novel? 

5. Creative Engagement 

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

• Choose one of the other characters in The Fury and consider how the story would be different if told from their point of view. How would it change not only the plot, but your perspective on the other characters?
• If you were to adapt this book into film, who would you cast as Elliot, Lana, Kate, and the rest of the characters? 

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