Book Club Questions for Hollow Bones by Jodi Picoult

She is able to craft a compelling narrative that, despite all the trauma displayed, you still want to read through and find out what will happen next.

In her stories, there’s always a twist, sometimes more than one, and in this case, all the twists were truly shocking.

She really lays the groundwork, though, and once aspects are revealed, I thought back to how she did give hints earlier in the story.

My Spoiler Thoughts

Hollow Bones deserves an ending post, so if you want to go more into detail about the ending, check it out here. While there is a slow start, overall, I found this story compelling, scary, intense, intriguing, and still surprising, even at the end.

So before I read it, I saw an interview headline about how the story covered postpartum psychosis. And so when I went into the story, I thought Molly would be the one to experience it. So I kind of read a good portion waiting for that.

That is until Molly’s dad, Adam, recognizes Eloise, her mother, who they thought died during 9/11.

It very much took me by surprise. And as I mentioned in my review, it’s an intense read about Eloise’s horrible journey with postpartum psychosis. It seems that some of it stemmed from her traumatic childhood with her abusive father.

Eloise’s and Evie’s friendship is pretty complex. Both, with very troubled and unstable family lives, find solace with each other. But their mutual love for Adam, and his love for Eloise, changes everything forever. Evie certainly envied Eloise’s life and was quite jealous and still had feelings for Adam.

Her fateful decision to lie to Eloise had rippling effects. That was very unsettling.

Let me know what you think about the book in the comments section below!

Talk about that endingHollow Bones: Plot Twists and Ending Discussion (Spoilers)By Heather Caliendo

Book Club Questions for Hollow Bones

1. The book starts on the 25th anniversary of 9/11, with a focus on the families who lost loved ones that day. What were your thoughts as you read that unfold? Did it take you back to that day?
2. Molly believed her mother died on 9/11. Despite being raised in a loving home by her father, Adam, and her stepmother, Evie, she still feels a hole in her heart and misses the mother she never knew. Let’s talk about how her mother’s absence had a lasting impact.
3. Evie was also her mother’s best friend. What was your initial impression as you learned Evie’s history with Molly’s mother? Did you trust her, or did you have any suspicions early on?
4. Why did Molly choose a career in emergency preparedness?
5. A large portion of the beginning is dedicated to the love story between Molly and Jesse. How did the emotional scars of their respective childhoods help bond them? Do you feel they are a good match?
6. Jesse is a character that appeared in My Sister’s Keeper. Have you read My Sister’s Keeper? If so, what were your thoughts about how all those characters turned out years later?
7. When Molly finds out she is pregnant, she is worried about how it will affect her career and if she is truly prepared. She tries to carry on with her job as normal, even putting herself and the baby at risk at one point. What was Molly trying to prove there?
8. Everything makes a huge shift in this novel when Adam recognizes Eloise, Molly’s mother. It turns out Molly’s mother did not die in 9/11 and has been alive this entire time. What were your thoughts as you read this? Were you surprised, or did you see hints of it prior to the actual reveal?
9. How would you have reacted if you were Molly?
10. We then learn Eloise’s backstory. Her father was emotionally and physically abusive to his children, and assaulted Eloise’s sister. What did this horrific childhood do to Eloise’s psyche? Why was it important for the reader to know about her childhood?
11. We then move to college, where Eloise is trying to shed her background, and she makes friends with Evie, a friend who also had a hard upbringing. What did you think about their friendship in college?
12. They both fall in love with the same guy, Adam. But he only has eyes for Eloise. While she tries to resist out of respect for Evie, she falls for him too. We learn that Evie will always find this a betrayal. What are your thoughts about this?
13. Adam and Eloise marry, and eventually have Molly. But Adam is traveling a ton, leaving Eloise to take care of a newborn all on her own. She’s not sleeping and begins experiencing postpartum psychosis. Let’s discuss these scenes; what were you thinking as you read it? How could things have been different if people truly understood postpartum psychosis at the time? How familiar were you with the condition before reading the story?
14. On 9/11, Eloise has an appointment with a psychiatrist. Evie claims that she walked in on Eloise trying to drown Molly. Eloise is horrified and goes to the appointment, but when the attacks happen in New York, it changes everything for her. She believes Molly will be better off without her; that her most loving act is leaving. There’s a lot to unpack here. Why did Eloise come to this decision? If she had not witnessed 9/11 firsthand, would she have made that same choice?
15. We follow Eloise’s journey, and it’s harrowing. She takes on a new name, Georgia, and she eventually gets on the right medication to help her function. When she is healthier, why didn’t she go to Adam and see Molly again? How would Adam and Evie react if she did return much sooner?
16. Eloise does eventually show up in Molly’s orbit when she finds out Molly is pregnant. She’s worried as postpartum psychosis could be hereditary, and she wants to be there for Molly. Should Eloise have been forthcoming with Molly at the doctor’s office where she worked?
17. Everyone is shaken by Eloise’s reappearance. Molly is at first angry, her father feels guilty, and Evie is worried that she’ll be left behind. Let’s talk about all their different reactions.
18. They all try to move forward, and Molly gives birth to a healthy girl and does not experience postpartum psychosis. Just when it seems everything is ok, Eloise’s return is revealed and covered by the national news. While it seems Eloise will run again, Molly won’t let that happen. What are your thoughts on how Molly handled Eloise’s return overall?
19. Jodi Picoult had another twist waiting for us. It turns out Evie lied; she never saw Eloise try to drown Molly. Whew. This angers everyone, with Eloise saying she left because she thought she tried to kill Molly. Did Eloise lie to protect Molly, or was it to serve her own purpose? Evie does get the villain treatment at the end; is it deserved or not?
20. Jesse is understandably only focused on Molly. But he does bring up an interesting point: even if Eloise had never left, how would Molly’s childhood have looked different, especially if Eloise wasn’t able to get the help she needed?
21. Adam breaks up with Evie and asks Eloise out on a date. Will they reconcile? Should they?
22. Molly takes her daughter and Eloise to the 9/11 memorial. Eloise is finally happy and feels closure, and then she gets hit by a car. She ends up being ok in the end. Why do you think Jodi Picoult added that car accident?
23. What happens next for all the characters moving forward? Let’s talk about Molly and Jesse naming their daughters after Eloise and her sister Adie.
24. This book really covers the idea of one striving to be a good mother. Eloise believes she’s being a good mother to Molly by leaving her and not causing harm, even though her absence impacted Molly. What are your thoughts about what makes a ‘good mother’?
25. The author’s note details how Jodi got the story idea to write this. What stuck out to you the most about her story inspirations?

Additional Recommendations

Hope you enjoyed the book club questions for Hollow Bones! Here are some more recommendations along with links to book club questions.

I really loved revisiting the women of the first novel, Big Little Lies.

Liane Moriarty found an ideal blend where the sequel feels very strongly like the second book in the series, but the influence of the show is felt too.

It works really well if you’re a fan of both.

Check out my full review here. And my book club questions here.

This is another novel with plenty of twists, and not all is what it seems. Check out my review here and my book club questions here.

Happy reading!