Book Club Questions for The Blue Hour by Paula Hawkins

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Book club questions for The Blue Hour by Paula Hawkins covers all the reveals in this moody thriller. There will be spoilers so for more context about the story, check out my spoiler-free review first.

Agh. I was not a fan of this one. The premise is quite promising and the isolated island of Eris is so interesting. But bland characters, a very weak motivation for the killer, and all in all too many stereotypes of the worst kind, just totally ruined this one for me.

I’m going to give my thoughts about the ending after the book club questions. So again, if you haven’t read the book and don’t want spoilers, save this page for later.

The Synopsis

Welcome to Eris: an island with only one house, one inhabitant, one way out. Unreachable from the Scottish mainland for twelve hours each day.

Once home to Vanessa: A famous artist whose notoriously unfaithful husband disappeared twenty years ago.

Now home to Grace: A solitary creature of the tides, content in her own isolation.

But when a shocking discovery is made in an art gallery far away in London, a visitor comes calling.

And the secrets of Eris threaten to emerge….

Book Club Questions for The Blue Hour

1. Why did Vanessa decide to reside on Eris? What was it about the island that appealed to her?
2. In her will, she left all her valuable artwork to the Fairburn Foundation, despite the fact she had a contentious relationship with the Foundation’s leader, Douglas. Why did Vanessa leave her artwork to the foundation and not to Grace?
3. What was your impression of Becker overall as a character? Why was he is enamored with Vanessa’s work?
4. We learn that Becker and Helena had an affair when she was married to Sebastian, Becker’s boss but also his friend. Why do you think the author felt it was important to include this side plot?
5. When question arises about one of Vanessa’s art pieces and if it contains a real human bone, Sebastian asks Becker to meet with Grace who lives at Vanessa’s home in Eris. Why did Sebastian send Becker instead of going himself?
6. A big chunk of the novel is dedicated to Grace and her backstory. Why was there so much focus on her looks and people calling her ugly? Was the author trying to convey some message about beauty and power struggles?
7. How do you view Vanessa and Grace’s relationship?
8. What did you think about the subplot involving Vanessa’s missing husband, Julian?
9. Is Grace an unreliable narrator?
10. When did you suspect there was something more sinister about Grace?
11. Do you believe Helena and Sebastian were having an affair as Sebastian’s mother claims?
12. Now to the ending. Lots of reveals: the bone was indeed human, but it was not Julian. It’s revealed to belong to a past potential romantic love interest for Grace. But Grace also killed Julian in an effort to keep Vanessa for herself. And when Becker starts to connect the dots, Grace kills him. She drugged Becker and put him in his car the water and…that’s it. What are your thoughts about the ending?
13. Will Grace ever get caught? What was Grace’s motivation behind her actions?

My Ending Thoughts

So as I read The Blue Hour, and I got about 20 pages out from the ending. I decided to go to bed as it was late, and I assumed I knew how it would end. I figured Sebastian would probably come to the island at some point, and rescue Becker, etc.

Well, when I picked it up again the next day, I was certainly surprised when that did not happen and Grace kills Becker.

And that’s it?

I imagine there’s some suspicion since Sebastian and Helena knew where Becker was. But I guess Grace will try to blame the island’s tide, and say Becker simply swept away. So she’ll probably just get away with it?

Okay, well that’s just a bunch of nothing. I didn’t need a super happy ending since this book was dark and strange, but that was simply shock value and nothing else. I found it quite disappointing.

Also, I have very little thoughts on the fact Grace killed her ex friend who she loved at one point. The reasoning was weak and their final scene was so beyond dramatic and ridiculous, I don’t want to think about it again.

Also, the focus on Grace’s looks got old fast and was so bizarre.

Again, this book was not for me.

Additional Recommendations

Hope you enjoyed book club questions for The Blue Hour! Here are some more recommendations along with links to book club questions.

When a teenager vanishes from her Adirondack summer camp, two worlds collide Early morning, August 1975: a camp counselor discovers an empty bunk. Its occupant, Barbara Van Laar, has gone missing. Barbara isn’t just any thirteen-year-old: she’s the daughter of the family that owns the summer camp and employs most of the region’s residents. And this isn’t the first time a Van Laar child has disappeared. Barbara’s older brother similarly vanished fourteen years ago, never to be found.

As a panicked search begins, a thrilling drama unfolds. Chasing down the layered secrets of the Van Laar family and the blue-collar community working in its shadow, Moore’s multi-threaded story invites readers into a rich and gripping dynasty of secrets and second chances. It is Liz Moore’s most ambitious and wide-reaching novel yet.

The plane is jam-packed. Every seat is taken. So of course the flight is delayed! Flight attendant Allegra Patel likes her job—she’s generally happy with her life, even if she can’t figure out why she hooks up with a man she barely speaks to—but today is her twenty-eighth birthday. She can think of plenty of things she’d rather be doing than placating a bunch of grumpy passengers.
 
There’s the well-dressed man in seat 4C who is compulsively checking his watch, desperate not to miss his eleven-year-old daughter’s musical. Further back, a mother of two is frantically trying to keep her toddler entertained and her infant son quiet. How did she ever think being a stay-at-home mom would be easier than being a lawyer? Ethan is lost in thought; he’s flying back from his first funeral. A young couple has just gotten married; she’s still wearing her wedding dress. An emergency room nurse is looking forward to traveling the world once she retires in a few years, it’s going to be so much fun! If they ever get off the tarmac. . . .
 
Suddenly a woman none of them know stands up. She makes predictions about how and when everyone on board will die. Some dismiss her. Others will do everything they can to make sure her prophecies do not come to pass. All of them will be forever changed.

Happy reading!