The Lost House

On page 24, when discussing her role as a true crime podcast host, Nora Carver tells Agnes, “I want to discover the truth, of course, but the truth is rare and flexible.” What does she mean by “rare and flexible?” Throughout the novel, Agnes worries about Nora’s intentions in her reporting on Agnes’s family’s history. Do you think Nora is in search of the truth or a good story?

How did the atmosphere of the setting, especially the cold, mercurial weather, affect the events of the novel?

On page 171, Agnes thinks of Bifröst: “In the silence, in the cold that threatens to solidify Agnes from the inside out, she wonders what it means about her, to belong to this place.” What does it mean to belong to a place? Does Agnes really belong there? Why or why not?

So many characters are lying, either to themselves, to the police, or to each other. On page 198, Agnes says, “Sometimes, you lie for stupid reasons, and then it gets out of your control. It becomes bigger than you.” Which characters are lying? What are their reasons for doing so? Do you agree with them? How does the situation spin out of their control?

What was your favorite moment of the novel? Do you have a favorite quote or favorite scene?

Agnes is often mistaken for someone else. When Júlía looks at her, she sees Agnes’s grandmother. Nora sees her sister. Óskar accuses Lilja of seeing Ása in Agnes. What is it about Agnes that invites this projection? What are her relationships like with the other characters in the novel?

Upon learning the truth of her family’s past, Agnes describes her grandfather’s actions on page 328 as “misguided and tragic.” Do you agree? What were his motivations?

How does Agnes’s relationship with her father evolve? After that ending, do you think he will ever return to Iceland?

What theme of the novel did you most connect with? Agnes alone reckons with inherited generational trauma, addiction and recovery, the true crime industry, fatherhood, grief and memory, postpartum depression, among many others. What stood out most to you?

What roles do fate and agency play in the book? In the world of The Lost House, are these characters in control of their own destinies?

What do you think comes next for these characters?