Explore thought-provoking None of This Is True book club questions here. This gripping book cover holds within it bestselling author Lisa Jewell’s open-ended thriller narrative that has readers talking.
You’ll foster insightful discussions with these questions and you’ll get free printable book club questions to prepare for your in-person book club. Get started below.
None of This Is True Book Club Questions
Discuss the significance of the title None of This Is True.
Discuss the format in which you read this book, particularly as it contains multimedia elements of a podcast and Netflix documentary.
Did you like the combination of a traditional psychological thriller with elements of true crime?
Did the switching of time from past to present work for you?
Lisa Jewell has said that the initial premise of this book was “a stalker novel.” Did the final product feel like a stalker novel to you?
Why do you think the book opened with the scene of “the man” getting into the car?
What is the significance of Josie and Alix being birthday twins?
What is the significance of Josie and Alix being age 45 when the story takes place?
What does Josie’s love of denim represent?
Compare and contrast Josie and Alix.
Compare and contrast Walter and Nathan.
Compare and contrast Erin and Roxy.
How did you feel about the age difference between Josie and Walter?
Discuss the role of Nathan’s addiction in the plot.
What did you think was wrong with Erin before more details were revealed?
Where did you think Roxy was?
Early on, the reader learns that multiple people died. Who did you think died (before it was revealed)?
What role does Josie’s mother, Pat, play in the narrative?
Thrillers are often judged by their plot twists. Did the plot twists here surprise you?
Discuss Josie in her role as a mother.
Define each main character as either a victim or a villain.
Discuss Josie’s need for control over her life and the narrative she presents of it.
Discuss the role of gaslighting.
What do you think is the true story?
What do you think may happen next in the lives of the characters?
Printable Discussion Questions
Download free printable book club questions to prepare for your in-person book club below.
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Why None of This Is True Is a Good Book Club Book
My Review: ★★★★☆
None of This Is True delivers a unique premise in the realm of “unreliable narrators” and fiction “true crime” in thrillers, as well as an ending that provokes further thought and discussion.
However, some of the content (such as alleged pedophilia and child abuse) may be disturbing for some readers.
Quick Plot Summary
In None of This Is True, Josie Fair meets her “birthday twin,” Alix Summer, a podcaster of women’s stories, at a local pub on their 45th birthdays. Alix is a wealthier woman, married to Nathan, who works in real estate and is battling alcohol addiction, and she is the mother of two younger children, Eliza and Leon.
Josie lives a much different life in a small apartment. She is a seamstress who married Walter, an abusive man, when she was 18 and he was 43 (a few years after they met). They have two grown daughters, Erin, a gamer who locks herself in her bedroom and eats only baby food, and Roxy, a runaway.
Josie is planning a fresh start and pitches her story for Alix’s podcast, to which Alix agrees.
But, things become tense as Josie’s disturbing life story is slowly revealed and Josie begins infiltrating Alix’s life. Alix also learns of the disappearance of Roxy’s first girlfriend, Brooke Ripley.
From there, the women’s secrets and lives become intertwined in dangerous ways, and not everyone makes it out alive.
Reading Tips
TIPS
- Given the podcast storyline in this novel, None of This Is True works especially well in audiobook format.
- If your club loved this book and wants a similar book to read next, check out:
Frequently Asked Questions
In None of This Is True, Erin Fair is believed by her school to be on the autism spectrum.
In None of This Is True, two possible reasons that Erin eats baby food are presented: one is that she is believed by her school to be on the autism spectrum and the second is that she does so as a mechanism for coping with abuse.
The true killer of Brooke in None of This Is True is left open-ended. Josie claims it was Roxy, and Roxy insinuates it was Josie.
In None of This Is True, Josie hired a young woman named Katelyn to help her kidnap Nathan. Josie then gave Nathan a sedative, and he died. Josie claims his death was accidental, but her true intention is left open-ended.
No. None of This Is True is a fictional psychological thriller by Lisa Jewell. It does contain some elements of true crime, including a podcast and Netflix documentary, but they are all fictional.
Conclusion
These None of This Is True book club questions will foster insightful discussion about a debatable thriller novel and a great book club book that leaves several plot points open to debate.
Keep the conversation going. Share your thoughts on this thought-provoking read or any questions you may have in the comments below.
