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Quick answer: Good discussion questions for Verity by Colleen Hoover focus on unreliable narrators, obsession, motherhood and jealousy, the manuscript versus the letter and whether we can ever know the truth. Below are 19 questions grouped by theme, plus a spoiler-free summary.
Quick facts
Author: Colleen Hoover
Published: 2018 (self-published), 2021 (Grand Central)
Genre: psychological thriller
Setting: the Crawford home in Vermont
Content note: very explicit sex, child death, violence and disturbing scenes
Verity is Colleen Hoover’s dark, twisty thriller, and its ending has divided readers since the day it came out. That makes it an excellent book club pick for groups that love to argue. The whole book turns on one question: which version of the truth do you believe? Before you choose it, know that it is much darker and more explicit than Hoover’s romances. This guide includes a spoiler-free summary, characters and themes, and 18 discussion questions grouped by theme. The questions contain major spoilers, including the ending.
Table of Contents
Spoiler-Free Summary
Lowen Ashleigh is a struggling writer on the brink of losing her apartment. Then she gets an offer she can’t refuse: Jeremy Crawford asks her to finish the remaining books in a bestselling series written by his wife, Verity, who was badly injured in a car accident and can no longer write.
Lowen moves into the Crawfords’ home to go through Verity’s notes. There, she finds an unfinished autobiography that Verity never meant anyone to read. It contains chilling confessions about Verity’s marriage, her pregnancies and the deaths of her twin daughters.
As Lowen grows closer to Jeremy, she has to decide whether to show him the manuscript. And the longer she stays in the house, the more she suspects that Verity is not as helpless as everyone thinks.
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Main Characters and Themes
| Character or Theme | What to Know |
|---|---|
| Lowen Ashleigh | A struggling writer hired to finish Verity’s book series |
| Jeremy Crawford | Verity’s devoted, grieving husband |
| Verity Crawford | A bestselling author who is now unable to speak or move |
| Crew | Jeremy and Verity’s young son |
| Harper and Chastin | The Crawfords’ twin daughters, who both died |
| The manuscript | Verity’s secret, disturbing autobiography |
| Unreliable narrators | Whose version of events can we trust? |
| Obsession | Love that turns into something dangerous |
| Motherhood | Jealousy, resentment and the dark side of family |
| Truth and fiction | How writers can blur the two |
Discussion Questions (Contains Spoilers)
Lowen
- Lowen sleepwalks and is grieving her mother. How did that make you question her as a narrator?
- Why do you think Lowen keeps reading the manuscript, even when it disturbs her?
- Did you trust Lowen’s perceptions of Verity in the house?
Jeremy
- Jeremy is portrayed as a perfect husband and father. Did you believe that portrait?
- How did you feel about Lowen and Jeremy’s relationship?
- What did you think of Jeremy’s actions at the end of the story?
The Manuscript
- Which chapter of Verity’s autobiography disturbed you most?
- Why would someone write something so damning about themselves?
- Did the manuscript make you feel any sympathy for Verity at all?
- How does the book use the manuscript to build suspense?
The Letter and the Ending
- After the letter is revealed, which version of Verity did you believe?
- Verity claims the manuscript was a writing exercise in “antagonistic journaling.” Is that convincing?
- How did Lowen’s final decision about the letter change your view of her?
- Is the ending satisfying, or does it frustrate you? Why?
Big Picture
- Verity is very different from Hoover’s romances. Did you prefer it?
- Why do you think this book became such a word-of-mouth hit?
- Would you recommend Verity to someone who doesn’t like dark thrillers?
- Hoover leaves the truth open. Is that a strength or a weakness?
- If you were Lowen, would you have shown Jeremy the manuscript the moment you found it? What would have happened?
Book Club Ideas for Verity
- Hold a vote at the start and the end of the meeting: manuscript or letter? See whether anyone changes their mind.
- Serve dark chocolate and red wine for a moody, Vermont-in-autumn atmosphere.
- Write a short “antagonistic journal” entry from a villain’s point of view and share it.
- Talk about other unreliable narrators your group has read, like those in Gone Girl or The Silent Patient.
- Read one manuscript chapter aloud and then the letter, and ask whether the tone of each sounds like the same woman.
Books Like Verity
If your group loved it, try The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides for another unforgettable twist, Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn for a dark marriage thriller, or The Housemaid by Freida McFadden for a fast, twisty read.
Check price of Gone Girl on Amazon
How to Structure Your Meeting
Start with a secret ballot: did you believe the manuscript or the letter? Then work through two or three questions from each theme above, saving the “big picture” questions for the end. If your group is large, split into pairs for one theme and report back.
A simple 90-minute plan:
- 0–15 minutes: food, catch-up and the opening question.
- 15–60 minutes: the discussion questions, theme by theme.
- 60–75 minutes: one of the book club ideas above, or a quick comparison with the adaptation if there is one.
- 75–90 minutes: everyone rates the book out of five in one sentence, then you pick next month’s read.
Related: the best thriller books for book clubs and the best controversial books for book clubs.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Verity about?
A struggling writer is hired to finish a famous author’s book series and discovers the injured author’s chilling secret autobiography in her home.
Is Verity good for book clubs?
Yes, for groups that enjoy dark thrillers. The ambiguous ending sparks heated debate.
Is Verity appropriate for all book clubs?
No. It includes very explicit sex, child death and disturbing violence, so it’s best for groups comfortable with dark content.
Is Verity a romance?
Not really. It has romantic elements, but it’s a psychological thriller and much darker than Colleen Hoover’s romances.