Daisy Darker

“I was born with a broken heart.” That’s the first thing we learn about Daisy Darker at the start of the novel. What were your first impressions of Daisy and how did you feel about her by the end of the book?

“Pieces of blue-green glass still decorate some of the exterior walls, sparkling in the sunlight and gifting Seaglass its name.” The story is set on a tiny tidal island just off the Cornish coast, in an old Victorian house with a turquoise roof. Did you enjoy the setting in this novel?

Who was your favorite character and why?

The Darker family has gathered to celebrate Nana’s eightieth birthday. Beatrice Darker is an eccentric author of books for children who has stopped paying her phone bill because she doesn’t want to be disturbed. She has a sweet tooth and lives in a crumbling old house with a library, a hallway full of clocks, and a dog called Poppins. What did you think of Nana?

“Daisy Darker’s family were as dark as dark can be. When one of them died, all of them lied, and pretended not to see.” Nana likes to write poems in her books and on the chalk wall in her kitchen. What did you think of the poems about the Darker Family?

There are a lot of references to the 1980s in Daisy Darker, especially when the family is watching old home movies. Did you enjoy the nostalgia?

Nana has eighty clocks “as a reminder to herself and the world that her time is her own.” Time is a big theme in this book. When the tide comes in, the characters are cut off from the rest of the world for eight hours. Did you feel the constant sense of a ticking clock throughout the story? Did it inform your reading experience?

Alice Feeney has described this novel as her own little tribute to Agatha Christie, one of her favorite authors. Did you notice the nods to And Then There Were None? What did you think of them?

Daisy Darker is a locked-room mystery. How does it impact the tension when all of the characters are trapped together, including the possible perpetrator(s)?

“Every family is a fortress that few outsiders get to see inside.” Let’s talk about the Darker family. Who was your least favorite? Do all families have secrets?

“It’s always important to have adventures, even if only in your imagination. Sometimes those are the best adventures of all.” Daisy enjoys reading and says that her childhood friends were Agatha Christie and Stephen King. There are recurring themes of isolation and loneliness in the book (which was written during the Covid pandemic), but is being alone the same as being lonely?

All of the illustrations in this novel are bespoke. From the Seaglass floorplan at the start to the chapter headings and Scrabble drawings included throughout. Alice Feeney has had illustrations in some of her other novels, too. Have you ever seen drawings in a psychological thriller before? Did you like them?

“Don’t waste your life wishing to be like someone else, decide who you are and be you.” It can be hard being the youngest child in a family, but Nana gives Daisy a lot of good advice growing up. What did you think about Rose and Lily and the sibling rivalry in the novel?

Have you read any of Alice Feeney’s other novels? (Sometimes I Lie, I Know Who You Are, His & Hers, Rock Paper Scissors). If so, which of her books did you enjoy best and why?

What was your favorite twist in the book? And let’s talk about the ending!