How to Sell a Haunted House

Louise can be impatient with other people, quick to jump on their faults, and slow to identify her own. Do you feel this makes her less relatable, or more? Is she a classic oldest child, or is that just her excuse?

How does Louise and Mark's relationship evolve over the course of the novel? How do their perceptions of each other change?

Much of the book focuses on how dealing with the possessions people leave behind is not just a physical process but an emotional one too. How does going through their parents' things—and dealing with the memories they bring back—affect Louise and Mark?

Mark says, "Our whole family functions on secrets." How do the family stories we choose to tell and those we choose to keep secret shape our lives?

Puppets and dolls are children's toys—but they can also terrify people. How does this book explore what makes them scary? What did you find most frightening in the book: the puppets or the dolls? Is there any difference?

How has Mark's fear about what happened to him during college governed his life? How will the events of the book change the way he lives going forward, if at all?

Why do you think. Nancy kept Pupkin? Do you think she understood the danger he posed to her children? Do you think even understanding that danger would have made her give up her last link to her brother? Did you see the twist about Freddie coming?

Haunted house novels and movies often revolve around family issues (family secrets, family curses, family dysfunction). Do you think that's the case here? And can you think of any books and movies about hauntings where that's not the case?

Which actors would you cast in a TV show or movie based on the book?