Fractured by Catherine McKenzie Reading Guide-Book Club Discussion Questions-Reviews and Ratings from Book Clubs-BookMovement

Introduction

Welcome, neighbor!

Julie Prentice and her family move across the country to the idyllic Mount Adams district of Cincinnati, hoping to evade the stalker who’s been terrorizing them ever since the publication of her bestselling novel, The Murder Game. Since Julie doesn’t know anyone in her new town, when she meets her neighbor John Dunbar, their instant connection brings measured hope for a new beginning. But she never imagines that a simple, benign conversation with him could set her life spinning so far off course.

We know where you live…

After a series of misunderstandings, Julie and her family become the target of increasingly unsettling harassment. Has Julie’s stalker found her, or are her neighbors out to get her, too? As tension in the neighborhood rises, new friends turn into enemies, and the results are deadly.

Editorial Review

No editorial review at this time.

Excerpt

Today

John

6:00 a.m.

I’m still not certain what it was that made me begin my daily morning vigil at the front windows. Something innocuous, I’m sure. That’s what I’ll say later today, surely, when I’m asked. Whatever the cause, the effect is that it feels like my days have always begun this way. Me in my boxers, coffee mug in hand, staring out the window at the neighbor’s house. And that my days always will begin this way, although I know neither is possible. ...

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Discussion Questions

1. Fractured begins with John at his front window, spying on the house across the street. What is it about living in close proximity to someone else that gives people the need to know what is going on in their lives? Have you ever been “caught looking”?

2. Julie and her family initially tried to t in to their new neighborhood in Cincinnati but were not very successful. Why do you think that is? Was there really something about Julie that was just “off”?
3. What did you think of Cindy? Why does everyone in the neighborhood seem to kowtow to her? What power does she hold over them?

4. When famous people have stalkers, the public sometimes lacks compassion or treats it as a nor- mal side effect of celebrity. Did you feel bad for Julie? Did she “deserve” all that unwanted attention just because she wrote a bestselling novel?

5. Julie began to experience more “stalking” behaviors once she moved to Cincinnati, including prank phone calls, and the mutilation of her daughter’s doll. At one point, Daniel thought that Julie was doing these things herself—a sort of Munchausen syndrome with phone pranks instead of faked physical ailments. Did you think Julie was faking it? What do you think of Daniel hiring a private investigator to look into his wife’s behavior?

6. What did you think of John’s character? He calls himself an “asshole” for having feelings for Julie, and does some questionable things throughout the novel, including coming on to Julie and giving alcohol to a recovering alcoholic. Yet we also see him as a caring father and husband. Is it rare to nod characters in novels who are similar to how we are in real life—not all good, but not all bad, either?

7. Throughout the novel we know something tragic has happened, but not to whom or how. What did you think happened prior to the final reveal? What tricks did the author use to make you think that?

8. When Julie’s book became successful, she started a secret bank account so that her husband wouldn’t feel emasculated by how much money she was making. He was clearly uncomfortable on the vacation they took to Mexico, knowing that he couldn’t have afforded to bring his family there on his own income. Why do you think this double standard persists?

9. Do you think Chris intended to run over Julie that morning? Ashley? Or was it truly an accident? If he had intended to run over Julie, should he still be punished for killing Ashley?

10. People assumed that the main character in Julie’s book was based on her, and/or that she had some involvement in Kathryn’s death because she wrote a book about something similar. While the old admonition to “write what you know” often holds true, why do we jump to the conclusion that what an author writes about is autobiographical? Is there anything in Fractured that you think might have really happened in Catherine McKenzie’s life?

Weblinks

»	Author's web site
»	Washington Post Review
»	Article about Book's setting

Notes From the Author to the Bookclub

In this taut thriller Julie Prentice has a stalker. Ever since she published her bestselling novel, she hasn't been safe. But now that her family has moved, they can rest easy. That is, until they discover their new neighbor's secret.—Goodreads, A Best Book of October 2016

One of the Big Fall Books of 2016 (Goodreads)

“This engrossing psychological thriller keeps you guessing right up until the very end.”—A Real Simple Best Book of October, 2016

A gripping thriller—Publishers’ Weekly

Fractured is a tense thrill ride that asks the question: do you ever really know your neighbors?—PopSugar (25 Best Fall Books)

Fractured bounces back and forth in time and between the viewpoints of Julie and her neighbor John, with whom she shares a flirtation, but the movements are so adept, they never become confusing. Instead, readers are hurled through complex and overlapping plots — murder, lying, nosy neighbors, courtroom drama—at a satisfyingly addictive pace.—Washington Post (AP)

Fractured is told between two different points of view, Julie and John, a tool brilliantly used by author Catherine McKenzie to allow the reader to experience the same events from two different perspectives … Fractured continuously shifts from the present to the past until the two time frames meet at the end to reveal a shocking twist. I would highly recommend it to anyone who loves a page-turning, suspenseful psychological thriller!—New York Daily News

A series of perhaps unreliable narrators tell the story in Fractured — of Julie, a writer who move to try to escape a stalker she’s had since the publication of her controversial novel, that has caused people to wonder if it isn’t actually true. The stalker won’t let it go and Julie needs an escape. She finds a new friend with her neighbor, John, and it quickly feels like they are getting too close. Tension mounts, accidents happen, and the stalker surfaces again. But who is really telling the truth? There’s plenty of twist and turns in this fast-paced thriller.—Parkesburg News & Sentinel

Fractured … is written in the first person, and you can’t help sympathizing with Julie Prentice as she’s ostracized by neighbors who can’t separate their feelings about her novel from the woman who wrote it … That structure is one of the smartest elements of this book. Regardless of whether readers are interested in the problems the characters are confronting, the suspense around that grand jury’s decision will ensure they stay with the story until the end.—New York Journal of Books

Nail-biting suspense, deep conflict, intriguing mystery and a dose of romance… McKenzie's new novel is everything a good suspenseful read should be.—RT Book Reviews, Top Pick, 4 ½ stars

In Fractured, Catherine McKenzie creates a gripping tale of people caught up in events beyond their control and brings out the human aspects of the characters. One for lovers of contemporary psychological thrillers.—Authorlink

A contentious past leads a young couple to move thousands of miles from home to an exemplary family community when things go terribly wrong in Catherine McKenzie’s latest tour de force, Fractured. When tragedy strikes, everyone is a suspect, as McKenzie masterfully weaves together the stories of Julie and John: strangers who become friends, neighbors who become enemies. A tightly drawn narrative that begs the question: How much can we really know about those living closest to us? Truly riveting!—Mary Kubica, New York Times bestselling author of The Good Girl and Pretty Baby

After page-turners Smoke and Hidden, McKenzie is back with another gripping work that explores the limits of trust and the startling intersections of our lives. Tautly written and intricately plotted, Fractured will keep readers guessing until the final page.—Paula Treick DeBoard, author of The Mourning Hours and The Drowning Girls

Chilling and tense, Fractured is one hell of a twisty ride through the hearts and deeds of people who just might feel familiar enough to make us wonder about ourselves. And the punch at the end is everything it should be. A great read!—Jamie Mason, author of Three Graves Full and Monday’s Lie

Suspenseful, insightful, and cleverly structured, Catherine McKenzie’s Fractured is a page-turning pleasure. I couldn't wait to find out what would happen next.—Leah Stewart, author of The Myth of You and Me and The New Neighbor

FRACTURED is a well-crafted, extremely addictive story that kept me turning page after page, eager to put all of the pieces together. When the secrets of Pine Street all click into place you are left with a highly satisfying conclusion that I promise you’ll find yourself pondering long after you read the last page. This is definitely another masterful piece of fiction from one of my favorite authors, Catherine McKenzie.—Emily Bleeker bestselling author of Wreckage and When I’m Gone

Beautifully plotted. Breathlessly paced. Fractured is a difficult book to put down. But its insights into love, marriage, and obsession ensure that you’ll be thinking about it long after you do. This is Catherine McKenzie at her best.—Matthew Norman, author of We’re All Damaged and Domestic Violets

Catherine McKenzie has crafted a tightly wound tale of complex relationships and engrossing psychological suspense. A finely wrought novel of human strength and frailty, cracked marriages and torn friendships, love and jealousy, Fractured kept me guessing until the very end.–A. J. Banner, bestselling author of The Good Neighbor

Fractured shatters the cheery facade of a Cincinnati community to expose the dark side of picket fences, block parties, and speed bumps. Think of it as a welcome basket with a ticking bomb inside. This page-turner of a mystery also features a novelist who may or may not be the neighborhood’s bad apple. A thrilling achievement!—Neil Smith, award winning author of Bang Crunch and Boo

Catherine McKenzie has quickly become a master of the psychological thriller, and Fractured is no exception. A taut, finely-wrought novel that had me holding my breath from the very first page, unsure of where the twists and turns would take me but looking forward to all of them.—Allison Winn Scotch, New York Times Bestselling author of Time of Your Life and In Twenty Years

Book Club Recommendations

Recommended to book clubs by 1 of 1 members.

Member Reviews

Overall rating:

"Fractured"by Nancy H. (see profile) 11/19/16

The book was suspenseful, although the beginning was a little difficult to follow. It was an excellent choice because it lead to a dynamic discussion about many issues. A quick read.

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