The It Girl

Why does Hannah hold onto a fear of the Porter’s Lodge nearly a decade after she last set foot on campus? What does the Porter’s Lodge represent to her?

Because Ware chose limited third-person narration for The It Girl, all other characters are described through Hannah’s perspective. Hannah pays close attention to April and often views her critically. How do you think April viewed Hannah? How might April’s background and motivations have influenced her opinions of Hannah?

Ryan and April had a complicated relationship. Explore their friendship in greater detail. Did he like her or hate her? Consider the possibility of Ryan and April as coparents and marriage partners. Could these characters have had a happy, loving relationship? What child-rearing decisions would they have made?

In both timelines of The It Girl, Hannah struggles to control her own identity. What qualifying factors does Hannah use to define her identity? How does she reclaim her sense of self at the novel’s conclusion?

Neville has very little dialogue throughout the novel, and only the last chapter reveals more of his voice. Why do you think Ware developed Neville’s character in this way? How does his character add to the discussion on identity?

November Rain seems to have followed in her sister’s It Girl footsteps by becoming a social media influencer. How is she different from her sister? What is the benefit of being an It Girl? In what ways is being an It Girl limiting?

Consider the alternating timeline structure of the narrative. Why did Ware make this stylistic choice? How does the text benefit from jumping between two plotlines? Hannah sees her life in a clear “Before” and “After” dichotomy. What does this say about the effects of trauma?

Ware touches on several parent/child relationships (Hannah and Jill, April/November and their parents, Will and his parents, etc.). Examine how Hannah views each of these relationships. How do you think her experiences with and perspective of the parental characters might influence her own parenting style?