Introduction

READ WITH JENNA BOOK CLUB PICK AS FEATURED ON TODAY • From the New York Times bestselling author of We Begin at the End comes a soaring thriller and an epic love story that “hits like a sledgehammer . . . an absolutely must-read novel” (Gillian Flynn, author of Gone Girl).

“Kept me frantically turning the pages and somehow made me cry at the end . . . Brava!”—Kristin Hannah, author of The Women

“Melds tense suspense with a powerful exploration of devotion, obsession, and love.”—People (Best New Books)

1975 is a time of change in America. The Vietnam War is ending. Muhammad Ali is fighting Joe Frazier. And in the smalltown of Monta Clare, Missouri, girls are disappearing.

When the daughter of a wealthy family is targeted, the most unlikely hero emerges—Patch, a local boy, who saves the girl, and, in doing so, leaves heartache in his wake.

Patch and those who love him soon discover that the line between triumph and tragedy has never been finer. And that their search for answers will lead them to truths that could mean losing one another.

A missing person mystery, a serial killer thriller, a love story, a unique twist on each, Chris Whitaker has written a novel about what lurks in the shadows of obsession and the blinding light of hope.

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Discussion Questions

Warning: Contains Spoilers!

1. Class and social status are themes throughout the book. How do wealth and poverty affect or inform the characters? How do they affect the search for Patch?

2. Why does young Saint feel a responsibility to Patch? Why does she continue the search against the advice of her grandmother and the authorities? And why does Chief Nix humor her?

3. Throughout the novel, each of the characters pursues someone --- i.e. Jimmy pursues Saint, Saint pursues Patch, Patch pursues Grace, et al. Does anyone ever get what they are truly looking for?

4. How do Patch and Saint evolve over the course of the novel? Or do they?

5. Today, tracking someone down can be as simple as typing a name into a search engine. What is different or remarkable about how Patch and Saint conduct their searches in the 1970s and ’80s?

6. Why does Saint join the search for Grace? How does this change the trajectory of her life?

7. Talk about the different paths Patch and Saint take. Why do you think they make those choices, despite other options available to them? Is one nobler than the other?

8. It would be the first time Patch saved a missing girl, Saint notes. Why doesn’t Saint take the credit?

9. How does the town and the country change over the period of the book?

10. Even decades later, why does Saint still see Patch as a kid?

11. Having a purpose is another theme of the book. Why is it important to have one? What happens when purpose changes, especially for the characters?

12. Aside from the missing girls, how many victims are there of that fateful day when Patch was taken? Or do you see them as survivors?

13. What do the paintings offer to Patch? What do they mean to Sammy and others?

14. It seems everyone in Monta Clare has secrets. Which secrets surprised you most?

15. As the years roll on, what did you think about Grace? Did you think she was real or simply a coping mechanism of Patch’s imagination and survival instinct?

16. What did you think about the ending? What surprised you? What is resolved?

17. What does the book say about family? About love?

18. What does the novel say about letting go?

Suggested by Members

by lizblair (see profile) 01/21/25

Weblinks

»	Interview with author in Oprah Magazine

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Recommended to book clubs by 5 of 5 members.

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