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57 pages 1 hour read

Jessica Knoll

Bright Young Women

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2023

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Book Club Questions

Bright Young Women

1. General Impressions 

Objective: Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

  • What do you think about the way the novel treated women and their stories? Did you relate to any of the women in the novel?
  • What did you know about Ted Bundy’s murders before reading the novel? How did it affect your reading experience?
  • Knoll uses elements from various genres, including true crime and memoir. What genre would you consider this novel?

2. Personal Reflection and Connection 

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

  • Have you ever told the truth and not been believed? Do you think your word was taken more or less seriously because of your gender?
  • How do you feel about true crime stories? If you enjoy them, what is it that appeals to you, and are there particular kinds of stories you find more compelling? If you don’t like the genre, why? 
  • Have you encountered any other fictionalized depictions of these murders? If so, did they impact the way you looked at the stories of characters like Pamela and Tina?
  • Do you think the characters in the novel got what they deserved? Were you hoping for a different ending?
  • What emotions did you feel while reading this novel? Were there any parts that made you more emotional than others? 

3. Societal and Cultural Context 

Examine the book’s relevance to societal issues, historical events, or cultural themes.

  • What do you think Knoll is trying to say about the genre of true crime? How does her novel contribute to a broader conversation about the genre?
  • What does the novel suggest about the relationship between women and caregiving? How do different women in the novel take care of one another?
  • How does Bright Young Women address contemporary issues involving gender? What does the extreme violence of “The Defendant” reveal about women’s broader standing in society?

4. Literary Analysis 

Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and symbolism.

  • Why is it significant that The Defendant is never named?
  • How do you think the novel subverts the true crime genre? Have you ever read a crime novel like this?
  • How do the different timelines in the novel support one another? Did the different stories help you to understand what the characters in the novel were going through?
  • Consider Carl’s function in the novel. What does this reveal about the roles of men and women at this point in time?
  • What do you think the fern that Pamela and Tina plant at the end of the novel symbolizes? What do you think they hope to gain by planting the fern?

5. Creative Engagement 

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

  • Suppose you were writing a novel told from the point of view of one of the victims, like Ruth or Denise. How would this story differ from Bright Young Women?
  • Imagine you were interviewing one of the women whose stories feature in this novel. What questions would you ask them?

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By Jessica Knoll