Corrupt

Penelope Douglas writes that she was heavily inspired by horror movies, especially the 1978 film Halloween, while writing Corrupt. Is Corrupt a horror story? Why or why not? Support your response with textual evidence.

Throughout the novel, many of the male characters explore The Power and Limitations of Brotherhood. Are the relationships between the Four Horsemen toxic? How are these relationships supportive, and how are they harmful? Support your response with textual evidence.

Michael and his friends wear scary masks to cover their faces while they commit crimes, highlighting the theme of Freedom through Performativity. Do other characters wear invisible masks? If so, why? Support your response with textual evidence.

In a horror movie, there is always a victim. Who is the victim in Corrupt? Does this role shift between characters over the course of the novel? If so, what do these shifts reveal about the novel’s themes?

Rika ends the novel Overcoming Fear and Victimhood to Find Empowerment. When does she stop being a victim? What is significant about that moment? Support your response with textual evidence.

The novel includes an epigraph from Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein. Research the novel and its plot. What aspects of the Shelley’s novel are present in Corrupt? Why might Douglas choose an epigraph from this gothic novel?

Think about setting throughout the novel. What locale plays the most important role? How are the novel’s settings significant to its plot? How do they convey its themes? Support your response with textual evidence.

How does Corrupt fit within the cultural sphere of “BookTok”? What other BookTok favorites are similar to this one? How does Corrupt fit within the conventions of dark romance as defined on social media, and how does it defy or shift these conventions?