Five Total Strangers

Mira focuses on getting to her mother because she believes her mother is distraught. In what ways does Mira have an accurate or inaccurate assessment of her mother? How is Mira’s relationship to her mother developed, and what impact does it have on her choices?

Mira is a high school student who pretends to be older than she is. In contrast, Josh is a dangerous person who pretends to be safe. In this way, the antagonist and protagonist, dramatic foils for each other, both wear masks. How do these characters maintain these masks? What similarities and differences do you see between them? How do they reflect each other, and how do their choices impact the novel?

Class status and wealth, or the lack of them, play a part in this novel. What assumptions and beliefs do the characters carry about wealth and class? Which characters do class and money impact, and how does that affect the other characters and the plot?