DISCUSSION QUESTIONS The Identicals

1.) Do you see yourself as more of a Nantucket or Martha’s Vineyard person? Why? 2.) Despite looking exactly alike, Harper and Tabitha act quite differently. But even with those differences, they may be more alike than they let on. In what ways are Harper and Tabitha more similar than even they realize? 3.) Is the family drama between Harper and Tabitha more explosive because they are identical twins? 4.) How does the rivalry between the islands inform and mirror the sibling rivalry between the twins? 5.) In what ways are Harper and Tabitha like their parents? How are they different? Do you think their parents’ relationship has affected the twins’ romantic lives? In what ways? 6.) Which of the sisters do you identify more closely with? Why? 7.) A major theme of The Identicals is that appearances can be deceiving. In what ways does this theme play out over the course of the novel? 8.) An emotional loss sets the novel’s plot in motion, and several characters grapple with loss throughout the book. How do the characters deal with their grief differently in the novel? Do you think any one character is especially effective when it comes to processing their emotions? 9.) How does Harper and Tabitha’s relationship remind you of your relationship with your sibling(s)? In what ways is it different? 10.) Have you ever tried to escape your problems by switching locales like Tabitha and Harper attempt to do in the novel? Did it work? Would you do it again? 11.) Does being mistaken for one another paradoxically afford Tabitha and Harper a sense of freedom to be themselves? 12.) Does Ainsley more closely take after her mother or her aunt? 13.) Who do you think is the novel’s protagonist? Does The Identicals have a villain, or an antagonist? Who, or what, is it?