Joanna Pearson’s literary mystery Bright and Tender Dark centers on the brutal murder of nineteen-year-old Karlie Richards in her off-campus apartment at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2000. A man has been convicted for the crime and sent to prison, but some think he was falsely accused.

The narrative jumps between 1999 and 2019 and includes multiple perspectives from people who were affected by Karlie’s murder and its aftermath. Among the characters are Joy (Karlie’s freshman roommate), Jacob (a beloved professor with questionable intentions), Ian (Karlie’s townie friend who recently escaped from a religious cult), Sheri (the mother of the convicted killer), and KC (the night manager at the apartment complex where Karlie was murdered). As we read their stories and follow Joy as she puts the pieces together, the truth about what truly happened to Karlie takes shape. Bright and Tender Dark explores the complexities of trauma and memory, true crime fandom, evangelism, and the many forms of love.

These book club questions are from the publisher, Bloomsbury.

Bright and Tender Dark

Bright and Tender Dark Book Club Questions PDF