The Book Breakdown: I Have Some Questions For You

What writers can learn from this literary mystery

Welcome to The Book Breakdown, in which we look at a published novel and discuss the elements that make it a good book. This isn’t a book review in which I critique a novel; it’s a spoiler-free look at what works well for this particular novel, so that we can sharpen our own storytelling skills.

I read Rebecca Makkai’s literary mystery, I Have Some Questions For You, during a trip to visit family and I often found myself sneaking away from everyone to read another chapter. When the novel published in 2023, it spent six weeks on the New York Times bestseller list, so I’m definitely not the only reader who found it utterly engaging. The Boston Globe called it an “irresistible literary page-turner” and The San Francisco Chronicle called it “Thought-provoking, deeply unsettling and undeniably riveting.”

Let’s look at several elements that make this novel work, so we can hone our skills as storytellers. I’ll keep this as spoiler-free as possible in case you haven’t yet read the book.

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What’s the book about?

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A successful film professor and podcaster, Bodie Kane is content to forget her past — the family tragedy that marred her adolescence, her four largely miserable years at a New Hampshire boarding school, and the 1995 murder of a classmate, Thalia Keith. Though the circumstances surrounding Thalia’s death and the conviction of the school’s athletic trainer, Omar Evans, are the subject of intense fascination online, Bodie prefers — needs — to let sleeping dogs lie.

But when The Granby School invites her back to teach a two-week course, Bodie finds herself inexorably drawn to the case and its increasingly apparent flaws. In their rush to convict Omar, did the school and the police overlook other suspects? Is the real killer still out there? As she falls down the very rabbit hole she was so determined to avoid, Bodie begins to wonder if she wasn’t as much of an outsider at Granby as she’d thought — if, perhaps, back in 1995, she knew something that might have held the key to solving the case.

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What genre does it belong to?

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It’s a literary mystery that sometimes feels like a thriller and is cousin to a true-crime podcast.

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What makes it a good story?

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🌲Detailed, isolated setting

Kane’s temporary job at a boarding school (Granby) brings her to an isolated campus surrounded by woods. Kane isn’t necessarily in danger, so the secluded location doesn’t make her seem vulnerable, but it reminds us that Kane is visiting a world with its own rules, one in which a tight-knit community could allow a terrible crime to take place.

Makkai actually attended boarding school as a teen and lived on that same campus while writing the novel. That might be why she’s able to invent Granby in such great detail. Understanding the geography and architecture of the campus is important to unraveling the mystery, so these details aren’t only immersive, they’re practical to mystery readers who want to try to map out the crime.

🪞Occasional second-person narration

In (almost?) every chapter, Kane seems to address the reader at least once. Early on, readers learn Kane is actually speaking to a former Granby teacher, one she fears had a part to play in young Thalia’s death. These moments are chilling and dramatic, exactly the kind of thing to engage a thriller reader.

In repeatedly reminding readers that Kane suspects the former teacher of foul play, Makkai provides an engaging throughline for the story. The plot isn’t only about uncovering the identity of the murderer, which often feels impossible because of the lack of conclusive evidence. It’s also about the unfolding of the story of this teacher’s past abuses. No matter who killed Thalia, whether on accident or on purpose, whether for terrible reasons or excusable ones, the reader feels invested in discovering the teacher’s transgression.

🕵️‍♀️Interstitial chapters that make a case against each suspect

Interspersed with chapters that follow the main narrative are short chapters in which Kane imagines how a suspect might have committed the murder. These chapters lay out the case for each suspect in turn, while leaving enough questions to keep readers wondering which suspect is really guilty.

You might think that the best way to create suspense in a murder mystery is to make readers suspicious of all the characters at once. But actually, a better way to create tension is to have readers strongly suspect one character, and then switch their suspicions to another (and then to another—or even back to the first suspect!). There’s a lot of fun in experiencing those surprising shifts.

These interstitial chapters also seem to serve a darker purpose, which is to allow readers to indulge in imagining the shocking details of the crime. Isn’t that what true crime podcasts and documentaries allow us to do? Momentary lapses into violent visions add intensity to an otherwise thoughtfully-paced story, but they also serve as reminders that our interest in true crime is fraught.

⚖️Realistic legal elements

Much of the intrigue of the novel is introduced through clues that have been given careful forensic analysis. The DNA found on the victim, the nature of her wounds, the posture of her floating body—these are all presented in realistic detail so that the reader can speculate about how Thalia was killed.

The workings of the justice system also give more depths to the novel’s themes. The man who is serving time in prison for Thalia’s death hasn’t been treated fairly, and no clever presentation of clues or theories will see him miraculously saved from an unjust system.

👩Exploration of feminist themes

Kane works with her students to create a podcast about Thalia’s death, which allows Kane to reflect on issues related to true crime media. At a few points in the story, she considers the race, class, and appearance of victims who get the most public attention. Most of her ire is aimed at a male teacher who she’s sure took advantage of Thalia while she was a student at Granby. There’s also a subplot about an artist who accuses Kane’s husband of taking advantage of her, which prompts Kane to explore the power dynamics between those who wield professional power and those who harness the power of online attention.

These themes are the same that pop up in online conversations relating to the Me Too movement, which means the novel feels relevant and urgent. At the same time, Makkai doesn’t simply parrot Twitter slogans; she explores several perspectives in a way that invites the reader to reconsider a familiar topic.

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