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What Kind of Mother
A New York Times Book Review Best Horror of 2023 selection.
"Packed with profoundly unsettling scenes that'll slither under your skin and stay there long after you turn the last page."--Gabino Iglesias, author of The Devil Takes You Home
After striking out on her own as a teen mom, Madi Price is forced to return to her hometown of Brandywine, Virginia, with her seventeen-year-old daughter. With nothing to her name, she scrapes together a living as a palm reader at the local farmers market.
It's there that she connects with old high school flame Henry McCabe, now a reclusive local fisherman whose infant son, Skyler, went missing five years ago. Everyone in town is sure Skyler is dead, but when Madi reads Henry's palm, she's haunted by strange and disturbing visions that suggest otherwise. As she follows the thread of these visions, Madi discovers a terrifying nightmare waiting at the center of the labyrinth--and it's coming for everyone she holds dear.
Combining supernatural horror with domestic suspense into a visceral exploration of parental grief, What Kind of Mother cements Clay McLeod Chapman's reputation as a "star" (Vulture) and "the twenty-first century's Richard Matheson" (Richard Chizmar, Chasing the Boogeyman.)
This discussion guide was shared and sponsored in partnership with Quirk Books.
Book club questions for What Kind of Mother by Clay Chapman
Use these discussion questions to guide your next book club meeting.
How do Madi’s and Henry’s experiences of losing their children—literally and metaphorically—inform their relationship with each other?
The Chesapeake Bay plays a major role in the novel. How did you interpret the recurring motifs of water, seaweed, crabs, and jellies?
What do you think Kendra is seeking in her relationship with her father? Did you understand her decision to live with him? Did you relate to Madi’s reaction?
What was your initial theory about Skyler’s disappearance and how did that evolve over the course of the novel?
Psychics have infamously inserted themselves into missing person cases, claiming they can track down people who have disappeared. How do you feel about Madi’s choice to help Henry?
How would you best describe and explain the visions shared between Henry and Madi?
What is the significance of the neon sign in Madi’s motel room? Why do you think Skyler was so drawn to it?
Why do you think Grace rejected Skyler, but Henry didn’t?
How did you interpret Henry’s sacrifice?
Why do you think Madi ultimately decided to raise Skyler?
What was the scariest scene in the book and why?
What Kind of Mother Book Club Questions PDF
Click here for a printable PDF of the What Kind of Mother discussion questions