Someone We Know: A Novel

Communication, or the lack thereof, becomes a major factor in Someone We Know and its spiraling misunderstandings, some of them tragic. Cite examples of characters not sharing important information with each other, and how this leads to bad outcomes. What or who could have been spared if communication had been clear?

Olivia, who thinks at first that her son should confess and apologize for his break-ins, soon compromises by delivering anonymous letters to some of his victims. Is this merely a plot device meant to move the action along, or do these anonymous letters have a place in the novel’s themes and preoccupations?

Robert and Amanda Pierce play “little games” with each other, but they are far from the only ones. Explore three examples of other characters, whether neighbors or police, who use deception to manipulate others.

In Someone We Know, technology is, at best, a double-edged sword. In what ways do the characters’ technological safeguards (computers, cell phones, security cameras, etc.) get them into trouble? In what instances does technology help them?

Paul Sharpe asks his wife to tell the police a “small lie” to help him, but none of the lies in Someone We Know are advantageous in the end. Explain in detail how lies and deceptions by the residents of Aylesford lead to the deaths of Carmine Torres and Amanda Pierce.

Shari Lapena is known for the suburban settings of her thrillers. Could the action of Someone We Know have unfolded in the same way in the big city as in the affluent suburbs of Aylesford? Why or why not? What does a suburban setting add to a thriller?

The adage “No good deed goes unpunished” seems especially relevant to Someone We Know. Cite examples from the novel of attempts to help others that went awry, causing more harm than good; how do the bad outcomes of these attempts speak to the novel’s themes?

“Curiosity killed the cat” might serve as one of the novel’s morals. In what ways is curiosity punished in Someone We Know? Are there some instances in which it is rewarded? Specifically, compare and contrast the curiosity of Carmine with the curiosity of Raleigh.