READERS GUIDE

Questions and Topics for Discussion

1. In The Shadow Lily Hanna finds out new information about the murder her father was convicted of. He said to a friend that he never should have protected him. What does Hanna believe this means, and how does it affect her relationship with her brother?
2. How does the Swedish setting affect the story? Did you respond to any cultural differences? If so, what were they, and what do you think prompted your response?
3. In The Shadow Lily Hanna develops feelings for Isak. What’s Hanna like when it comes to relationships?
4. What do you believe Erik’s worry about his family stems from?
5. The murder victim, Thomas Ahlström, works for an estate agency. It is a family business, and he is the only one who works there who is not part of the family. How do you think this affected the dynamic at the business?
6. Thomas has a daughter, Lykke, whom he abandoned when she was a baby. Why did he do this and how did it affect him? What does he do differently the second time he becomes a parent?
7. How did Thomas’s abandonment of Lykke affect her? What does she struggle with, and why do you think she struggles this way?
8. Secrets are a running theme in The Shadow Lily. What do you think is the role of secrets, and evading the truth, in social life?
9. The novel’s title comes from a lily that grows in the shade. Reading this story, what do you believe is the significance of the title?
10. What was your response to the ending? Did you expect the case to have a different conclusion?