1. How necessary was it for Victor Mack to keep Lila isolated from friends? Did he overreact in that regard? How do you think Lila’s isolation helped or hindered their relationship?

2. Is it possible for a child to play a role in such a crime as parental abduction? Is it possible for both sides to be at fault for such a crime or is the abductor the only guilty one?

3. Do you like Victor Mack as a person?

4. Why do you think Kira so obsessed with missing children? Is this Elisabeth’s fault? How much influence do you think an absent sibling has on the one left behind?

5. In Lila’s childhood, which parent do you think should have been given custody, if either? What other ways do you think Lila could have been protected?

6. How does the cabin in which Victor chose to raise his daughter relate to the story? Do you see a parallel to the characters’ lives?

7. Does Victor’s reluctance to offer physical affection to his daughter help or hurt her ability to model nude? How can physical cues and experiences children have affect the way they handle physical experiences as adults?

8. Should Lila have forgiven her father? Should she have been more empathic toward her mother? How do you think you would have handled the situation if you were Lila?

9. What role did the coyote play in the story? How does his story parallel the Mack’s story?

10. Is Lila too harsh with her mother, given all Elisabeth has lived through?

11. How does Lichty’s criticism differ from Elisabeth’s? Is one type more damaging to Lila than the other? Has there been a time in your life when criticism kept you from pursuing a dream?