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The Ways We Hide
As a little girl raised amid the hardships of Michigan’s Copper Country, Fenna Vos learned to focus on her own survival. That ability sustains her even now as the Second World War rages in faraway countries. Though she performs onstage as the assistant to an unruly escape artist, behind the curtain she’s the mastermind of their act. Ultimately, controlling her surroundings and eluding traps of every kind helps her keep a lingering trauma at bay.
Yet for all her planning, Fenna doesn’t foresee being called upon by British military intelligence. Tasked with designing escape aids to thwart the Germans, MI9 seeks those with specialized skills for a war nearing its breaking point. Fenna reluctantly joins the unconventional team as an inventor. But when a test of her loyalty draws her deep into the fray, she discovers no mission is more treacherous than escaping one’s past.
Inspired by stunning true accounts, The Ways We Hide is a gripping story of love and loss, the wars we fight—on the battlefields and within ourselves—and the courage found in unexpected places.
This discussion guide was shared and sponsored in partnership with Sourcebooks
Book club questions for The Ways We Hide by Kristina McMorris
Use these discussion questions to guide your next book club meeting.
Did your impression of the child on the cover change by the novel’s end? What about the title? Describe the various meanings it holds throughout the story.
From the Italian Hall Disaster and its parallel tragedy at Bethnal Green Station to the efforts of MI9, Houdini, and the Dutch Resistance, plus those of the Engelandvaarders, The Ways We Hide highlights myriad stunning pieces of history. Which among them fascinated and/or surprised you most?
Love, loss, family, and sacrifice are major themes of the novel and the driving force behind many of Fenna’s and Arie’s actions. Did you largely agree or disagree with Fenna’s decisions? What about Arie’s?
Several objects throughout the story—including the toy train, buttons, and, most frequently, a ball of string—help forge lasting bonds between characters. Which item was your favorite? Likewise, which possessions in your own life carry deep senti- mental value given their link to a person or relationship?
Were you familiar with MI9 prior to reading this book? Which gadgets did you enjoy learning about most?
From Fenna’s childhood, the stampede on Christmas Eve contributed significantly to shaping her life, even decades later. What childhood experience(s) most altered your own life? Were there resulting obstacles you later learned to overcome?
The Ways We Hide Book Club Questions PDF
Click here for a printable PDF of the The Ways We Hide discussion questions
"The Queen's Gambit meets The Alice Network in this epic, action-packed novel of family, loss, and one woman's journey to save all she holds dear―including freedom itself." ―Kristin Harmel, New York Times bestselling author of The Forest of Vanishing Stars
"Just like her heroine, Kristina McMorris works magic in this twisting tale of James Bond’s Q meets World War II. I love this book!" — Kate Quinn, New York Times bestselling author of The Rose Code and The Diamond Eye
"A riveting tale of intrigue and illusion, danger and historical mystery, but at its heart the story of one woman’s struggle to escape her own past. While using her remarkable skills to help captured soldiers, Fenna finds herself face-to-face with what she loves most and what she fears most, trapped in a place where each decision she makes could unlock the paths to freedom and a future… or death." — Lisa Wingate #1 New York Times bestselling author of Before We Were Yours