Reading Group Guide
Never Look Back begins with a letter written by April to her future daughter, and her story is told exclusively through those letters. Why do you think the author decided to use this device?
We are introduced to many principal characters in this novel. What were your initial impressions of them, and did they change by the end of the book?
What were your reactions to April’s participation in the Inland Empire murders, especially after reading the letters? Do you believe she was as guilty as Gabriel?
Gabriel repeatedly assures April that he loves her. Do you think there ever was any love between them?
What are your thoughts on Robin’s marriage? Did you feel confident about it from the beginning and, if so, how did that change as the story progressed?
Early in the book, we find out Quentin’s aunt is a victim of the killings, creating a personal interest in the Cooper and LeRoy murders for Quentin. In Chapter 14, more information is revealed about his childhood and relationship with his mother. Do you think Quentin’s motive behind the podcast stems from his childhood experiences in a deeper way than he sets it out to be?
What was your reaction to Quentin’s last text message to Robin? Were you taken aback by it?
What do you make of Quentin’s ultimate fate—did you find it surprising?
In Chapter 23, April and Gabriel run into the cops. How did you feel during this scene?
Did the identity of the killer surprise you?
A lot is revealed at the end of the book. What were your feelings about the conclusion? Did you find the ending satisfying?
The book was, in many ways, centered around the idea of family. What do you think it says about that theme—and did you find the message hopeful in any way?
Also by Alison Gaylin
If I Die Tonight
What Remains of Me
Trashed
Heartless
Reality Ends Here
And She Was
Into the Dark
Stay With Me
Samantha Leiffer novels
Hide Your Eyes
You Kill Me
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
P.S.™ is a trademark of HarperCollins Publishers.
NEVER LOOK BACK. Copyright © 2019 by Alison Gaylin. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
Cover design by Alicia Tatone
Cover photographs © Mustapha Mahouch / EyeEm / Getty Images (road); © Carlos Ciudad Photos / Getty Images (woman); daboost / iStock / Getty Images (texture)
FIRST EDITION
Digital Edition JULY 2019 ISBN: 978-0-06-284455-2
Version 05232019
Print ISBN: 978-0-06-284454-5 (paperback)
ISBN 978-0-06-288435-0 (library edition)
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