Someone We Know: A Novel

The characters in Someone We Know place a great deal of trust in their friends, but how reliable are these friendships? Are there any true friends in the story? Support your answer with evidence from the text.

Communication, or the lack thereof, becomes a major factor in Someone We Know and its spiraling misunderstandings, some of them tragic. Cite examples of characters not sharing important information with each other, and how this leads to bad outcomes. What or who could have been spared if communication had been clear?

Olivia, who thinks at first that her son should confess and apologize for his break-ins, soon compromises by delivering anonymous letters to some of his victims. Is this merely a plot device meant to move the action along, or do these anonymous letters have a place in the novel’s themes and preoccupations?