The Club

The Club examines multiple facets of celebrity. Compare Lloyd’s presentation of celebrities in the media with a real example of celebrity gossip in the media.

The word “joke” appears 58 times in this novel. In Nikki’s first scene, she observes the mercurial Ned’s antics: “Everything was a joke until it was serious. Everything was serious until it was a joke” (23). Analyze Lloyd’s presentation of humor, or lack thereof, throughout the novel.

There are multiple instances of mistaken (Adam for Ned, Annie for Georgia) or unknown (Kurt as Nikki’s son) identity in the book. Choose one of these characters. Discuss how Lloyd uses and subverts the tropes of the murder mystery genre.

The Prologue is different from anything that follows. What is the effect of starting the novel like this, using the second-person “you”?

The main narrative is interspersed between pieces of a fictional Vanity Fair article, written six months after the novel’s events. What is the effect of this juxtaposition? What does it suggest about the nature of stories or the passage of time?

Both Nikki and Jess suffered life-changing traumas at a young age. Compare and contrast these characters.

Each chapter is split between the four point-of-view characters. Discuss the effect of this structure.

Regarding the physical development of the island and nearby village and the response of the locals to Home Group, explore the novel’s presentation of gentrification.