This Is Our Story

The book opens with an anonymous narration from John Michael. It’s not until the very end that his identity as the murderer is revealed, yet small snippets of this secondary narration are included at the end of each chapter, following Kate’s primary narration. What does this second voice add to the novel? How does it deepen the mystery?

This Is Our Story uses a “mixed media” technique, incorporating video transcripts and text messages as integral parts of the plot. Why might the author choose to convey information through such formats, instead of simply providing details via Kate’s and John Michael’s narrations? What does this modern-day epistolary technique add?  

One of the book’s first significant plot twists is the Grant-Shep identity mix-up. If Kate’s love interest is alive instead of deceased, how does this heighten the narrative tension? Address both the internal and external conflicts Kate must face as a result.