51 pages • 1 hour read
John MarrsWhat Lies Between Us
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2020A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Essay Topics
Analyze one or more of the novel’s pop culture references to music, books, and movies. What role do these references play in the scene where they appear, and how do they explore one or more of the novel’s themes?
Consider Bobby and his biological father, Jon, as foils: How are they similar, and how are they different?
Consider the structure of the novel as a thriller, including its nonlinear storytelling. Why does John Marrs place the twists where he does, and how does he set them up for maximum impact on readers?
The novel presents several mother-daughter pairings other than Nina and Maggie, such as the neighbors across the street and Barbara and Elsie. How do these relationships compare to that between Maggie and Nina? What does each reveal about the other?
Maggie informally diagnoses Nina as experiencing psychogenic fugues. Does the novel’s portrayal of fugue states align with how they are described by modern scholarship? How does this align with the novel’s broader portrayal of mental health?
The novel focuses on the consequences of lying and deception. Within the world of the novel, do any lies seem to yield positive outcomes in the long run? How so? Support your response with evidence from the text.
Apart from the home where Nina and Maggie live, which setting(s) play the most significant role in the novel? How so?
How is the novel’s ending ironic? What are other examples of irony throughout the text?
Identify one or more instances of foreshadowing in the novel. How does Marrs hint at the twists without giving them away?
