WellRead’s February 2020 selection was Long Bright River by Liz Moore. An intelligent, stylish and compulsive read that will keep you guessing until the very last pages, Long Bright River is part literary thriller, part family saga, part police procedural.
Use these discussion questions to engage with the book further, whether in a book club with friends, or just on your own as you digest the story.
Reading questions for Long Bright River by Liz Moore:
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Did you find the book as compulsively readable as we talked it up to be?
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Mysteries abound in the book. Some are only mysteries to the reader as information is slowly released through the narrative; and some are mysteries to Mickey as well. Did you see any of them coming? Which confounded you most?
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Kacey and Mickey grew up in the same house and yet their lives follow vastly diverging paths. What do you think influenced the trajectory of their lives? Where do you sit on the nature versus nurture debate?
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Addiction is explored in the book not only by the person suffering from it, but also the effects it has on that person’s family and friends and, ultimately, their community. Did the story alter your understanding of addiction?
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As a protagonist Mickey is isolated and detached and, at times, downright frustrating. And yet we feel deeply for her (or at least we did). How do you think Moore manages this balance? What were your feelings towards Mickey?
- Speaking in an interview about the representation of sisterly bonds in books and films, Moore said that they were often defined by rivalry and backstabbing whereas “in reality, some of my most important support comes from women and that’s what I’m interested in writing about.” How does Moore represent the sisterly bond in this book?
Please note, these questions were written and distributed in February, 2020.