The genre of true crime can often lead to real change, as it did in the case of Adnan Syed, whose conviction was overturned after his case was documented in the Serial podcast. However, the genre also creates opportunities for exploitation. How does Makkai’s novel balance these outcomes in the case of Thalia Keith’s murder?

Masculinity and its critique are a dominant issue in the novel. How do the various men (Robbie, Omar, Geoff, Mike, Yahav, and Jerome, for example) in Bodie’s life embody different visions of masculinity? How do they complicate a picture of men as wholly good or wholly bad?

Racism is at the heart of the novel, as authorities see a Black man as a likely suspect in Thalia’s murder. But how does Bodie account for her own complicity in supporting racist institutions? From liking the racist GIF on Twitter to her dismissal of Jasmine Wilde, how do Bodie’s actions suggest her complicated relationship with the issues of racism and injustice?