Content Warning: This section of the guide contains discussions of sexual content, emotional abuse, and mental illness.

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. What were your initial reactions to the novel's setting of an isolated mountain ranch in Colorado? How did the remoteness of the setting contribute to the developing relationships between characters? Have you read other novels that use isolation as effectively (e.g., Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights)?

2. The novel plays with several genres and conventions, including dark romance, the bildungsroman, and Gothic elements. Which genre elements did you find most compelling, and why?

3. How did you interpret the significance of the title in relation to the overall themes of the story? What does the concept of “credence” suggest about belief, trust, and truth in relationships?

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

1. Throughout the novel, the characters struggle with finding a sense of belonging. How do you define "home," and what makes a place or group of people feel like home to you?

2. The story explores the various ways in which past trauma shapes present behavior.