Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of cursing, death, and death by suicide.

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. The Library at Mount Char has been likened to works by Stephen King, such as Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption, and Neil Gaiman’s American Gods. How did your reading experience of the novel compare to that of other books in the horror and dark fantasy genres?

2. What did you find most compelling about the premise and characters? What emotions did they evoke?

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

1. Consider the novel’s characterization of Father and the librarians as godlike, even though they are human. Where do you see the elevation of some humans as godlike in your own life, culture, and society?

2. Does the text’s depiction of cruelty and compassion at such a large, intense scale feel relevant to real life? What aspects of the moral conflicts Carolyn and Steve faced in the book resonated with you, and why?

3. Throughout the novel, Carolyn manipulates Steve, a man she claims to love, in order to engineer a particular outcome.