Because of the Night

Icky is a quirky girl with humorous ADHD impulses. Fully convinced she’s mismatched with her complicated family, and willing to risk everything to prove it, she embarks on a one-night adventure on a magical boat.

It all starts one fall evening when Icky loses an unwinnable fight with her brainiac twin brother. Even if she uses her self-taught coping routine to tune-out, detach, and move on, it’s simply no match for the gazillions of thoughts that jam in the middle of her throat. As this ball of words unclogs in a huge explosion, it can’t be contained any longer… “Shut the front door—I must be in the wrong family!” Feeling invincible, the girl carries a pillow, a hastily packed doll case, and a clear decision—she must leave on a quest to find her true family.

But this will be no ordinary night. After meeting a mysterious Old Lady who appears on a magical boat, the girl is assured: “If you still believe you’re in the wrong family come morning, you’ll be whisked away to another one—forever.” Icky has one night to decide her fate. Will this simple promise solve her dilemma, or is it an eerie warning of things to come?

This discussion guide was shared and sponsored in partnership with Dartfrog Books.

Book club questions for Because of the Night by Rue L'Hommedieu

Use these discussion questions to guide your next book club meeting.

While reading the book, did you find your modern perspective influencing your imagination with these characters and scenes from the 1960s? Do you think you came away with a better understanding of what it was like to live in the 1960s? How so?

Did you feel your mood impacted while reading the book? If so, how? Do you think the author intended to make you feel a certain way? If so, did they succeed?

Was there anything in the story that particularly surprised you, either in a good or bad way? If so, was it a particular twist or scene? What made it so surprising?

Did you guess the ending? If so, at what point? Did you find the ending satisfying? Why or why not?

Are there any lingering questions from the book you’re still thinking about? What are they?

Because of the Night Book Club Questions PDF

Click here for a printable PDF of the Because of the Night discussion questions