The Last Bookstore on Earth

Describe Liz’s character and situation. Talk about her narrative voice, including her references to the “alien overlords.” What does she convey in the first chapter about her personality, her current circumstances, and her past?

What is Maeve like? What does Liz admire about her? Why do the two of them grow closer? How and why do the two of them clash? Explain why Maeve keeps her past from Liz and how Liz finds out about it. What does Liz learn about Maeve and Eva’s relationship?

Flashbacks tell readers about Liz’s life before The Storm and when it arrived. What was her family like? Why were her parents at odds? What was school like for Liz? What were her hopes for the future?

Describe Thea’s personality and the relationship between the sisters. How did being twins affect them? How were they similar and how were they different? In what ways were they close? In what ways did they not get along? Discuss Liz’s comment that Thea was “so much better than [her].” (p. 178

Why do you think the author chose to set this story in a bookstore? Why do books matter to Liz? Describe the store and how it changes during the story. What role did it play in Liz’s past? Why is Liz so attached to it? Why do you think she is scared to leave for good, or even for a short time?

What was Liz’s relationship like with Eva before The Storm and right after it? Why did Eva leave, and why did she plan to leave without telling Liz? When Liz sees Eva again, how do they interact? Does it seem like Eva has changed? How? What happens to Eva in the end?

Explain what Liz slowly learns about the group that Eva joined and Maeve once belonged to. Where do they live? What is their “protocol”? Why was Maeve banished? When Liz first encounters them, Tristan says, “Good people don’t exist anymore.” (p. 128) How is that belief used to justify their actions?

Discuss some of the things about which Liz feels guilty. Should she blame herself for what happened to her family? What does Maeve feel guilty about? What does Eva feel guilty about? Why do you think guilt is such a dominant emotion in the story?

Why does Liz think that she deserves negative things, like having her hand damaged in the generator? Discuss her comments: “I didn’t deserve that sort of love” (p. 182) and “I’m not sure if I deserve to live.” (p. 251

Many scenes in the novel involve violence; for example, ones about The Storm and Liz’s family; Liz’s hand and the generator; Maeve and Liz being attacked in the woods; Becca, Benji, Tristan, and Eva trying to seize the bookstore; and Maeve removing the tarp. What are your emotional reactions to these scenes of violence? Were they inevitable?

Why do people still visit the bookstore after The Storm? Who comes in? Review the stories that Liz collects from people who come to the bookstore. What are some of the experiences that people relate? What are their feelings about what happened and about the future? Why does Brian Henderson say the result for him was that he “was no longer alone”? (p. 299