69 pages • 2 hours read
Rebecca MakkaiI Have Some Questions for You
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2023A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Essay Topics
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?
Starlet Fever and the podcasts about Granby all focus on the power of institutions to hide injustice. How do Old Hollywood and Granby compare? What are their similarities and their differences?
Generational differences are explored throughout the novel. Beth discusses how her 12-year old daughter imagines trauma and consent, and most of the Granby alums have changed quite a bit from their younger selves. How does the novel envision a sense of hope and promise for these newer generations, and how do the same structures continue to threaten women with violence?
Beyond racism and masculinity, the novel discusses the danger in so-called nice guys. Mike, Jerome, and Bloch seem harmless and pleasant, but how does each character contribute to a system of inequality and gender-based harassment and violence?
Memory becomes a fraught topic throughout the novel, as Bodie, Beth, Mike and others remember and revise their view of the past. How does the novel depict the perils and promises of memory?
Academic power structures are a constant theme throughout the novel, and the administrators and faculty often blur the boundary between appropriate and inappropriate behavior. From Bodie and Bloch to Mike and Jerome, how does the novel treat the power-based relationship between academia and the student body?
Arguably, Granby attempts to hide class differences through the embrace of merit and academic excellence. How does the novel highlight the problematic nature of that supposed equality?
How does the novel depict and analyze the traumatic effects of abuse at Granby, from Thalia’s death to Carlotta’s cancer, among other events?
