Book Club Discussion Questions for Complicit by Stephanie Kuehn

Book Club Discussion Questions

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For supplemental discussion material see our Beyond the Book article, Conversion Disorder and our BookBrowse Review of Complicit.

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

1. Is Jamie a sympathetic character? Is Cate?
   


2. Why is Jamie so anxious about Cate getting out of juvenile detention? Do you think it was fair of his parents to keep it a secret from him?
   


3. Under what circumstances do Jamie's hands start to go numb? What do you think is the significance of this?
   


4. What role does memory play in this story? Can you always rely on your memories to be true?
   


5. Do you think Jamie has a good relationship with his adoptive parents? Why doesn't Cate?
   


6. In what ways does Jamie start to uncover clues about his past? How do they change your perception of him?
   


7. What role did poverty play in the circumstances of Jamie and Cate's early childhood?
   


8. What does Cate want from Jamie when she comes back? Is Cate a good sister to Jamie?
   


9. Jamie has a lot of conflicted feelings about being adopted. How does this play out in the story?
   


10. Why does Jamie stop taking his medication? Why do you think he's not honest with his therapist about this?
    


11. How do you understand the falling out between Jamie and Scooter? Why doesn't Jamie have friends?
    


12. Why do you think Jamie is so driven to find out the truth about his past?
    


13. How did your perception of Jamie change as you read this story? Were you surprised by the ending?
    


14. Are there any truths about yourself that you wouldn't want to know?

Unless otherwise stated, this discussion guide is reprinted with the permission of St. Martin's Griffin. Any page references refer to a USA edition of the book, usually the trade paperback version, and may vary in other editions.