The Naturals

The novel adapts the “whodunit” genre by incorporating behavioral science and psychology and repackaging it for a young-adult audience. How does this make the story more compelling? Would you consider this book science fiction?

Consider each member of the Naturals program. Which do you relate to the most? Which skill set would you most like to have? Why? How are this character and their skills important to the story?

Why is it important that Cassie’s grandmother and her extended family are loving and supportive? How would the story’s trajectory and/or meaning change if they were cruel or cold like Michael’s family? How would Cassie be different?

FBI Agent Tanner Briggs is a complex character with whom Cassie is often at odds. Is he a sympathetic character? Is he morally sound? What motivates him?

Look for moments of foreshadowing to the plot-twist ending. Does foreshadowing “spoil” the ending? Why do you think authors plant clues for their readers?

Construct a “profile” for Lorelai Hobbes, Cassie’s mother, based on what you know about her role in Cassie’s and Lacey’s lives. Is she a sympathetic character? What does this add to the novel’s discussion of family dynamics?

Compare the style of the “You” chapters with the main narrative. What do they add to the story? Why are they important for understanding the novel’s plot and themes?

Before their game of Truth or Dare, Cassie remarks that she has “spent most of [her] life as an observer, and Lia was the type to pull people off the sidelines” (119). In what other ways are Lia and Cassie similar and/or different? What does this say about Lia’s past?