Heather

Heather is structured as a police procedural with good guys and bad guys. Who, in your opinion, is good and who is bad? Who is neither or both? How do the moral gray areas subvert your expectations of Heather as a mystery novel?

Nearly every character in Heather harbors a secret. Which character’s secret shocked you the most, and whose lies do you think were justified, if any?

What did you know about the Pine Barrens in New Jersey before reading Heather? How does the setting function as a character, and how does it impact the people in the story?

Compare the intense sisterhood between Annabelle and Sabrina to the chosen family friendship between Callie and Jane. How has the strength of female friendship fortified the characters in the novel? How has it hurt them?

Several men in the novel — Luke, Damien, Frank, and Billy Fauver — perpetuate violence against women in various ways. Discuss the different types of male toxicity represented by these characters. Then discuss Adrian as a contrast to the other men.

Discuss the different models of motherhood presented in the book: Jenna’s struggles with addiction, Jane’s fierce protection of Opal, and Iris’s reinvention as a “perfect” PTA mom in the suburbs. What is the author saying about the societal expectations placed on mothers?

Once Annabelle discovered she was pregnant, is there anything she could have done differently to avoid the events that played out? What do you think the author is saying about women’s bodily autonomy by showing how Annabelle’s plans are thwarted at the Women-First Pregnancy Crisis Center?

Why do you think Annabelle pretended to be her twin sister when she met the Coyote? What does she gain and what does she lose from taking on Sabrina’s identity?

Jenna and Annabelle both endure profound trauma at the hands of the same man, but they cope in drastically different ways. Both characters keep their trauma a secret from those closest to them — in doing so, what do they seem to gain and what do they sacrifice?

Did you have guesses about the identity of the Coyote? What does it mean about the world of this novel that he was able to keep his crimes undiscovered for so many years?

What was your reaction to the crime Annabelle was arrested for? Did the novel challenge your judgments about her as the truth was slowly revealed to you?

At-home DNA kits and true-crime TikTok play significant roles in exposing Annabelle’s identity to the public. Has reading this novel changed the way you think about these technology trends that make information accessible to everyone?

At the end of the book, Annabelle names the baby Heather after the resilient, rare flowers that bloom in the acidic, inhospitable soil of the Pine Barrens. Why is this an appropriate name?

The note Annabelle left behind in the brick factory simply reads “I love you. Forgive me.” Who do you think this note was meant for?

Does the novel offer a satisfying sense of justice? If not, what do you think true justice would look like for Annabelle, Sabrina, and Jenna?