Discussion Questions

  1. Lucy Cloud says that Chenoa is the one missing, “but they’re all twice gone.” Discuss what she means by that. Consider what you know about the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women epidemic. How does this quote reflect that issue?

  2. While this story is fictional, the piles of cold case files that Starr discovers reflect a grim reality: Indigenous women are seven times more likely to be murdered than white women. Did this statistic surprise you? Had you heard about the MMIW movement to raise awareness before? Discuss your experience with the movement, if any, and how the novel addressed the issue.

  3. “Deer Woman is a solution or a trap.” What does this quote mean to you? If you learned about Deer Woman before, how does this quote fit with what you believe about her? Discuss how Deer Woman as depicted in the novel is either a solution, a trap, or both, and why.

  4. Deer Woman is commonly portrayed as a protector of women and a threat to men who harm them. Do other cultures have myths, legends, or folk tales that have a similar role to that of Deer Woman? How are they different from one another?

  5. Although the Saliquaw Nation is fictional, the real reservations in that region have a long history with natural resource exploitation, especially through fracking. Discuss the novel’s political controversy on this topic. What do you think could be the consequences of more fracking, and how do they weigh against the perceived benefits? Which side would you take?

  6. The villains in this story each have very different motives, yet they were all once aligned on the fracking issue. Discuss the similarities and differences of their motives and methods. Did any of them surprise you?

  7. Throughout the novel, Starr struggles with feeling like “a stranger between nations.” Discuss what that means, and what it feels like to her. How do you think her sense of displacement impacted the story? Have you ever felt this way or known someone who has had this experience?

  8. Have you ever experienced an “outsider” entering your community? How did or would you react in a situation like that? Do you think Starr should have done anything differently as an outsider to the Saliquaw?

  9. Discuss how Starr’s loss of her daughter impacted her investigation. How does she project her memory of Quinn onto Chenoa? How does her grief affect her perceptiveness and effectiveness as an investigator?

  10. What do you think was the turning point, if there was one, that changed everything for Starr? What made her start taking the investigation more seriously? When, if ever, did she begin to accept her new life there? Did you like her from the first page, or did she grow on you after a certain point?

  11. Do you think Starr’s visions of Deer Woman were real? Why or why not? And if Starr’s visions were real, what do you think Deer Woman’s intentions were?