Home Before Dark

Throughout the novel, Maggie alternates between rage and exasperation with her parents and her memories of them. Given that they lied to her, is her anger justified? Should she have treated them with more trust? Discuss your reasoning.

The novel interrogates the nature of truth itself, which is often based on memories. Literal truths about events require that the events happened, but people remember events in different ways. How does this make it harder to determine what’s actually true or whether the truth is possible to find?

The narrative gives no definitive answer about whether William Garson killed his daughter, Indigo. Given that Ewan spends so much time building the mystery surrounding Indigo and her father, does it surprise you that the author never resolves the mystery? Why do you think the author made this choice?

In Ewan’s final letter, he tells Maggie that he could have—and should have—done better. Do you agree with him? What could he have done better, if anything?

Ewan Holt writes a convincing “true” story about paranormal events that becomes a massive success. It accomplishes his goal of protecting Maggie. Brian Prince is a small-town journalist who takes his profession of truth-telling and truth-seeking seriously. Which of them is a more respectable writer? Which one is more successful? Explain your reasoning.

The author builds Dane up as a potential romantic interest for Maggie, only for her to shun him when he admits to having a criminal record. Why does Maggie react this way to his confession when she knows what it’s like to be judged in advance for one’s history?

Home Before Dark is reminiscent of another “true” haunted house story, The Amityville Horror. However, Ewan’s story is an admitted lie, while some claim that the events in Amityville are accurate. What do the two stories have in common? What are the most significant differences between them?

Baneberry Hall is a character in the novel and, according to Hibbs, an almost sentient presence. Describe the differences between how Maggie describes the atmosphere of the house and Ewan’s depictions of it. How do they agree with each other? How do they conflict?