Book Club Discussion Questions

For When the Dead Remember by Lelia A. Piet

Step into a story shaped by grief, fractured memory, and the unsettling sense that reality itself may be unreliable. These spoiler-conscious prompts are designed to encourage thoughtful discussion without revealing key turns in the plot.

Discussion Prompts

Juniper’s grief is still raw when the story begins.
How does loss shape the way she perceives the people and events around her?

The novel leans heavily into subtle unease rather than overt threat.
How did that slow-building tension affect your reading experience?

Memory plays a central role throughout the book.
At what point did you begin to question whether Juniper’s recollections could be trusted—or whether something else might be influencing them?

Juniper is forced out of the life she believed was secure.
How does that displacement—both physical and emotional—contribute to her unraveling?

Several characters seem simultaneously close and distant.
Which relationships felt most fragile to you, and why?

The story raises questions about perception versus truth.
Do you think the novel suggests that truth is fixed—or shaped by who controls the narrative?

Domestic spaces that should feel safe become unsettling.
How does the author use familiar settings to heighten psychological suspense?

Trust is repeatedly tested throughout the novel.
Who did you trust most at the beginning of the story, and did that trust shift as the book progressed?

The title When the Dead Remember carries layered meaning.
What does the title suggest about memory, legacy, and the weight of the past?

Grief is portrayed as both isolating and disorienting.
Did you see moments where grief protected Juniper—or moments where it made her more vulnerable?

The novel explores emotional dependence and manipulation without immediately naming it.
How did that ambiguity affect your understanding of the characters’ motivations?

By the end of the book, Juniper must confront what she believes—and what she’s willing to accept.
Do you think clarity brings peace, or simply a different kind of reckoning?

If you could ask the author one question about a character’s choices or inner life, what would it be?