Verity

How does Hoover build suspense in this novel? Explore three different techniques Hoover uses to build suspense. How effective are these techniques? What impact do they have on the novel as a whole?

Analyze the significance of the tile of the novel. Why did Hoover choose to title it Verity? How does this choice highlight the major themes of the novel?

Discuss Hoover’s organization of the novel. How does she structure the novel? What effect does this organization have on the novel as a whole?

A foil character is a character with differing traits that accentuate the traits of another character. Who are foil characters in Verity? What qualities does each character highlight in the other? What purpose does this serve?

What are some likely literary influences for Hoover’s Verity? Discuss how works like Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca and Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre have thematic and structural parallels with the novel.

Some argue that the violence and sex scenes in this novel are gratuitous and unnecessary. What purpose do these scenes serve? How do they contribute to the novel’s greater meaning?

Lowen’s experiences with sleepwalking traumatize her from a young age. Discuss Hoover’s choice to include sleepwalking. Analyze how sleepwalking relates to the themes of the novel.

Hoover uses foreshadowing effectively in her novel. Provide at least three examples of foreshadowing. Analyze the effect of these examples of foreshadowing on the novel as a whole.