Stores that matter are stories that make me feel, invigorate me or serve as a call to action for me. Stories that matter are stories that awaken my spirit to issues, be they spiritual, emotional, moral, social or a combination. Stories that matter are stories that call all my emotions into play: sadness, anger, grief, happiness, despair, joy, etc. Stories that make me think. Stories that provide me with indulgences, like romance, but that, at their core, have something important to say. Some stories are written with the intent of providing the reader with an escape from real life; stories that matter, however, are written to make readers –more aware– of reality; to provoke compassion and empathy, love and hate, anger and grief. Stories that matter are the occurrences, catastrophes, triumphs, frustrations and joys of every day life: welcome to my collection of thoughts, feelings, idiosyncrasies, hopes and dreams—collectively known as Stories that Matter.
The narrator says, “Beauty matters to you. Beauty is the same as acceptance. Beautiful people get the date, the friend, the job, the chance. It’s why you’d spend hours getting ready, agonize over the color of a dress, spend money on getting your nails or hair done. It wasn’t that beauty for the sake of beauty was important: it was what beauty could get you. Like I said, spoiled.” Do you agree with this overview–do teen girls equate beauty with success and, if so, what are the effects of that?
The narrator asks: “isn’t honesty better than a dream?” Do you agree with this? In what way(s)?
Brielle mentions that, after her first kiss, she “feels lucky.” How often do we feel lucky to be chosen by the one we’re dating or involved with? How might that feeling hurt our relationship?
Sage capitalizes “Moon” and talks about it as though it is a person instead of an object or star. Why do you think this is?
Sage says, “Small things hurt.” What are some examples of this as seen in abuse?
What is the symbolism of Sage’s splinter?
Eden says that the kind of home we want says a lot about who we are as people and what we really dream about. Do you believe this–what would your dream home be?
Eden gets two back to back texts, one from Jake and one from Brielle. One about a rally protesting police brutality, the other showing a silly Tik Tok reel. What does this highlight both about social media and about our culture?
What were some of the things Willow was taught to believe about beauty?
Jonathan teaches River: When we love something, we gotta do hard things or the love ain’t real. Discuss this – do you think it is true: does loving someone make hard things harder?
What does River’s note to his dad “for teaching me how” mean after the bird hunting story?
Eden says, “It’s funny how you want friends, no matter how smart or not smart, not matter how strong or not strong, no matter how talented or not talented you are.” Why is the need for companionship, friendship, universal? What are the risks of being without friendship?
Sage says, “Sometimes the easiest things are the hardest ones.” What are some examples of things that others might say are “easy” choices that might not be easy to do?
What kind of things does the dark hide? What makes people more likely to behave in questionable ways after dark?
Is there a group of people who are almost protected from bullying: rich, athletes, beautiful–or does bullying affect everyone?
What is the irony and significance of the name of the local high school, Covenant Valley? Brielle shared sensitive information via a school forum that was public and presumably set up by the school. Willow publishes controversial articles in the school paper. The book speaks of how, after River’s death, each student was mandated to attend anti-bullying education classes. Do you think the school did enough before or after to address the epidemic of bullying ?
In the news article about Sierra’s disappearance, River is described as “popular”. Does this match the students’ perceptions of River – why or why not?
When Sierra is missing, the kids at the school post questions on the online forum saying, “Did you know she was adopted?” What does this tell you about the culture at the school?
Did Jonathan gaslight Sage? If so, what are some examples of this?
What role should schools play in ensuring students are not bullying? Should online forums be actively moderated — and, if they were, would kids censor themselves, thereby making the forum an unreliable source of the real culture within a school?
Consider the rowan trees that surround the house, and the stories told about them. Do you believe in superstitions?
Concerning the rowan trees: they are supposed to be there for protection, but no one is safe at River’s Rowan. Given the spaciousness of the house and its remote location surrounded by these trees, what other purpose could they have had?
Compare and contrast Jonathan’s behavior / personality with each girl.
Compare and contrast each girl. Who are you most drawn to, and why? Who is the most challenging to relate to?
Discuss how each of the girls respond to captivity and to abuse.
Sierra says she likes watching people interact; that seeing the life around the house gives her a sense of normalcy. In contrast, other girls see it as intimidating, as fake; they find it isolating because they’re not part of the inner circle. How does watching life happen around us make you feel?
Sierra says, “Why did River think it okay to call someone with my skin color a darkie? That’s the real question. Tragic, what happened. But that boy was not bullied. He was the bully.” But we also know from his journal that he didn’t believe anyone at the school cared “a rat’s ass” about him. We know the football team didn’t really consider him one of them; he was excluded from the invite to Willow’s party. And he was ostracized after Brielle’s post. Do you agree with Sierra? Was River bullied, or was he the bully?
Jonathan presents Sierra with evidence of times where she might have hurt someone. He suggests that she’s a hypocrite who is kinder to other blacks than she is to whites. Do you think this is true? Discuss unconscious racism.
Willow says that she’s always believed her mother’s love is unconditional… but then adds, “Maybe I’ve believed her because I never thought I’d be so ugly.” Is love really unconditional? Do we ever take the love of others for granted?
Jonathan carves the word “Bully” onto Willow’s face, even though the case for Sierra, Eden or Brielle being a bully might be stronger. Other than her concern with beauty, why did he choose Willow?
Sage doesn’t avoid Jonathan — when he’s sitting by the pool, she chooses to go out by him rather than be alone with the “memories hauntin’ my mind.” She says, more than once, that he treats her better than her real daddy. Do you think Sage really trusts Jonathan at all, or do you think she’s staying close to him to gain his trust? Do you think that makes what he does to her hurt worse, because it feels like a betrayal?
Willow says, “People don’t like to be bothered, but they can’t stand being ignored.” Which is worse – being completely ignored or being bothered? Why?
Brielle says the experience of being chased by Wolf was worse than rape. What, if anything, do you imagine would be worse than rape?
Sierra mentions that she goes to a church in black neighborhood and says, “Why are they mostly black? What aren’t there hood churches filled with white people?” Statistically, in 2022, 17.1% of African Americans lived beneath the poverty line according to the U.S. Census versus 8.6% of whites. Why the disparity?
What is Sage comparing the snakes to? When she describes the landscaping of the big house, she said “I never seen a snake here.” Compare and contrast her dad with Jonathan. Why might it be easier for her to identify her father as a snake but not Jonathan?
Sage says she wishes she was like the doll: always happy. Would there be drawbacks to happiness?
When someone gives you a gift, what is the expected return? Is there one?
How does abuse make people feel unseen?
Do we want to talk about the night of the demons? What does laughing at someone do that it can make a person feel so scared or low?
What stains are invisible? It doesn’t matter where you’re at when you’re violated — that place becomes tainted. How do our experiences taint or repair our environments?
Does someone voluntarily spending money on you at all, ever, create a debt? Why does a reminder of what you’ve been given create shame?
What does the lion represent and how is it significant that that’s the animal of the fountain at Jonathan’s home?
What’s the significance of Jonathan unlocking the door in the chapter where Apricot is lost only at the end, when Sage realizes the doll is gone?
Brielle says, “It’s the people we love the most that we treat the worst.” Do you agree? Why is it easier to treat those closest to us in ways that we wouldn’t treat others? Do we often take our loved ones for granted?
Eden says, “Guilt is the anesthesia that blocks joy.” Explain this.
Sage mentions that Eden has started to drink to forget the pain. She adds that she doesn’t want to forget because she feels it makes her less safe. Discuss the pros and cons of escapism.
How does Eden change throughout the story and what do you think is the biggest reason for the change?
Eden sarcastically says, “Welcome home” when they return to the site of the house. Why might she describe the Callaway house as home?
Willow says, “I was there” and needs to see the inside of the torture room at the Radical Redress. Eden and Sage do not want to see. Discuss the benefits and the cons of seeing the site of trauma.
Discuss survivor’s guilt. Why is this a real thing?
Of all the things he did to harm the girls, what do you think was the worst?
Did you expect Willow’s mother to react the way she did to the disfigurement?
Discuss the section breaks on the life cycle of a star. What is the symbolism of the star’s life cycle to the girls’ experience?
Tiffini Johnson 