BOOK CLUB KIT
How would you describe Kill All Your Darlings?
Kill All Your Darlings is a fast-paced thriller that tells the story of Connor Nye, a creative writing professor who is struggling to get over the fact that his wife and son died in an accident. One of his best students turns in an honors thesis—a novel—and then disappears and is presumed dead. Connor passes the book off as his own, and then the student turns up very much alive. And then the police show up because the book Connor passed off as his own implicates him in an unsolved cold case murder. Things get worse from there.
You’ve written over ten novels, while also being a college professor. Why now did you decide to write a story set on a college campus? What inspired you to write the book?
I’ve had the idea for this novel in the back of my head for a long time. Years. And I’ve tried on a few different occasions to get it off the ground and never could get it right. Finally, I cracked the code and went for it in 2021. Since I’m a professor at a university, I think about the academic world all the time. And since I’m a suspense writer who produces a book every year, I’m always on the lookout for a good story. It was inevitable I’d set one on a campus. During my time as a graduate student and then as a professor, I’ve seen more than one case of professors abusing their power and pursuing inappropriate relationships with their students. I’ve seen the toll this takes on the students and the entire community. We’ve made progress on this issue, but it hasn’t gone away, so I hope my book calls attention to the problem while it also entertains the reader.
Author photo © Glen Rose Photography
“Each of the characters knows a part of the story, and the events stretch across time with the past very much affecting the present.”
How do you think Kill All Your Darlings differs from your previous books?
The subject matter and setting are different. More than anything, I wanted to push myself in the way the story is told. The book uses multiple points of view and goes back and forth in time, and these are techniques I’ve never employed to this extent before. However, I thought the story—which is complex and tangled—could only be told in such an unusual way. Each of the characters knows a part of the story, and the events stretch across time with the past very much affecting the present. Telling the story this way certainly created challenges for me because it meant a lot of balls were in the air. So I had to learn to juggle as I went along.
While writing the book did you come across anything in writing about campus life that surprised you? Did you interview anyone for the book to get some ideas on how to characterize anyone?
Obviously, I know the academic world very well since I’ve been working in it so long. It’s a unique setting, rather different than other workplaces. As I developed the idea for the book, I did speak to some of my colleagues and some of my students, asking them if they had experiences that were similar to the ones I was going to be writing about. I was surprised to learn that so many people I know have experienced or witnessed the kind of harassment that is depicted in the book. I’m not exactly a Pollyanna, but I was still surprised. And not in a good way.
In Kill All Your Darlings, some of Connor’s colleagues look down at him for writing a mystery novel. You’re currently the head of the creative writing program— has anyone ever thought that you “ought” to be writing the next “Great American Novel” instead of mysteries or thrillers?
Hey, who says the “Great American Novel”—whatever that is—can’t be a mystery or a thriller? I’ll tell you what, if it was a mystery or a thriller, a heck of a lot more people would read it. And they wouldn’t be bored by it. But to answer the question, yes, there is absolutely a snobbish attitude among a fair number of my academic brethren when it comes to writing anything that might be remotely popular or accessible. At the same time, I have plenty of colleagues who not only read my books but they also read the work of other thriller writers. As I always tell my students, don’t write what you think other people want you to write. Write what you want to write. We can only follow our own paths and not worry about others.
Having been in a college classroom for 16 years, how have you seen the dynamics of college change?
In many ways, things don’t change. I’m not sure students are vastly different now than they were when I was in college back during the Revolutionary War. Certain things are universal. Students are trying to figure out who they are and what they’re going to do. They worry about their grades. They like to have a good time—too good sometimes. They want to fall in love. But many things are different. Technology for one. There was no social media when I was in school. (Thank the Lord.) It barely existed when I started teaching. More than anything else, I think the economics of college continue to get worse, and the book reflects this. It’s harder and harder for working- and middle-class students to pay their way. Madeline O’Brien is one of those students struggling to get by. She has to work long hours at a job in a grocery store in order to come close to keeping her head above water. As someone who went through school on student loans and financial aid, I understand, but I think the costs are getting further and further out of control. Let’s face it, even the professors have a hard time getting by on shrinking salaries. The financial picture is bleak.
Why do you think Kill All Your Darlings is so important to today’s times?
As I said above, we’ve made progress in terms of how students are treated on campus. And we’ve taken steps to eliminate harassing behavior. But change only comes when people are aware, and I think—among some people—there is a tendency to say, “Hey, we had the Me Too movement so there’s no more harassment.” That’s absolutely not true. In my own small way, I’m trying to call attention to this issue while also writing an entertaining thriller. And the book is a reminder that students are vulnerable in a lot of ways, and those in power have an obligation to protect them.
“The book is a reminder that students are vulnerable in a lot of ways, and those in power have an obligation to protect them.”
What do you think readers who are entering college now would find surprising when reading Kill All Your Darlings versus readers who have been out of college for a while?
I think it would be the amount of pressure on the students. It’s not just the things that happen in the classroom. It’s the tremendous economic pressure so many students and their families face. It’s the profound worry about what the future is going to look like. All of these pressures take a toll on the mental health of the students. And colleges themselves are facing enormous economic pressures as states cut funding and invest less in our educational system. Something needs to change, but I’m not sure it will.
DID ANY OF THE CHARACTERS CATCH YOU BY SURPRISE?
It never looks good to be the last person to see someone alive.
Her tell? Her index finger and thumb plucking her eyebrow.
“The details in your book and the real details of Sophia Greenfield’s murder are a lot alike. Strikingly so . . .”
You’d never think a bestselling novel— and an unsolved murder—would ever be found on these campus grounds.
1.
At the beginning of the novel, we learn that Connor passed Madeline’s novel off as his own. Do you understand why he made that choice?
2.
Connor lost his wife and son five years earlier. He feels as though the publication of the book is going to start to turn his life around. How well do you think Connor has handled his grief?
3.
Before Madeline disappeared, she was beginning to work on her thesis, with Connor as her adviser. Even though Connor wasn’t at his best, there seemed to be mutual respect and admiration between them. What did you think of their professor-student relationship?
4.
Preston has been a very good friend to Connor, but he’s also very concerned with his own career and the perception of those in the department he directs. Do you know people like this at work?
5.
Madeline and Sophia develop a friendship in which Sophia plays the role of an older sister and a mentor to Madeline. Do you understand their friendship? Do you understand why Connor was fascinated by Sophia and Zach’s life together?
6.
Lance Hoffman has parties at his house that include drinking by underage students, and he behaves reprehensibly with Madeline when they discuss her thesis. Do you think university professors or other authority figures still abuse their power this way?
7.
Rebecca is somewhat on the periphery of the events of the book, but she plays an important role when she comes into possession of Madeline’s manuscript. Why do you think she gave the book back to Connor?
8.
Zach eventually provides Connor with a key piece of information. Did it surprise you that Zach would help Connor even after he attacked him?
9.
Were you surprised by who ended up being Sophia’s murderer? Do you understand why this person was willing to go to such lengths to protect their career?
10.
Connor loses a lot at the end of the book, including his job, his book deal, and his reputation. But he also seems to be learning a lot about himself as he moves forward. What do you think his life will be like in the future?