The Guest List

Use this activity to engage all types of learners, while requiring that they refer to and incorporate details from the text over the course of the activity.

“Whodunit”

In this activity, students will analyze the characters and their relationships to each other by suggesting alternative endings to the novel.

Part A

The board game “Clue” introduces us to a large cast of characters, and while the game itself does not give us much information about the characters or their actual roles in the murder, it does exemplify a mystery that starts with a large group of people gathered together.

As a class, list each character from the novel on the board in the front of the room except for Aoife, the murderer. Under their name, list out their reason for being on the island, whom they like among the other characters, whom they dislike, if they had any motive for killing Will, and any other details you think are relevant. Consider the following questions as you do so:

• How did this character grow over the course of the novel?
• How was this character affected by others?
• Why might I have expected them to be the one who committed the murder?

Part B

The film Clue is notorious for its many different endings, in which different people are unexpectedly responsible for the sequence of events that take place in the movie. What would happen if The Guest List ended, not with Aoife having committed the murder, but with someone else as the murderer?

Form in groups of four. Each group will be responsible for coming up with an alternative story in which the character assigned to them by your teacher committed the murder.

When the time allotted by your teacher is up, rejoin the class. Each group should then take turns relaying the story of the new murderer to the class. Afterward, groups should cast votes for who came up with the most convincing story. They cannot vote for themselves.

Part C

Grouped as a class once again, reflect back on the activity. Discuss the following questions:

• What was this activity like for you? Did Lucy Foley create a rock-solid case for why Aoife had to be the murderer? What details were hardest to change?
• How feasible is it that another character could have killed Will?
• How important was Will’s past in crafting the new stories? For those groups whose characters had no connection to Will’s time in school, was it difficult to get around the fact that Will had killed Darcey?
• Ultimately, how does this activity relate to the major themes of the novel, The Power of Deceptive Appearances, Haunting as Manifestations of the Past, and The Importance of Family?

Teaching Suggestion: Students should walk away from this activity with a better understanding of the characters and the ways in which they support the major themes of the novel. As you walk around while groups are coming up with their stories, nudge them to think about these themes and how the novel would change if a different character were responsible for Will’s death.

Differentiation Suggestion: Instead of recounting their new stories to the class, students with dramatic interests could act out major scenes with the tweaks that they’ve made.

Use these essay questions as writing and critical thinking exercises for all levels of writers, and to build their literary analysis skills by requiring textual references throughout the essay.

Differentiation Suggestion: For English learners or struggling writers, strategies that work well include graphic organizers, sentence frames or starters, group work, or oral responses.

Scaffolded Essay Questions

Student Prompt: Write a short (1-3 paragraph) response using one of the bulleted outlines below. Cite details from the text over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. The Folly seems to be a character in and of itself in this novel.

• What role does the island play in the story? What atmosphere does it create? (topic sentence)
• Provide three examples of the Folly’s history and mystique to support your thesis and explain how each relates to the main plot.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, explore how the Folly as a setting connects back to the theme of Haunting as Manifestations of the Past.

2. Many of the characters suffer from some sort of addiction.

• How does this inform their struggles and their actions in the novel? (topic sentence)
• Cite three examples of addiction to support your topic sentence.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, connect your essay back to the theme of The Power of Deceptive Appearances.

3. There are two sets of sisters in this novel, Hannah and Alice and Olivia and Jules.

• What role does sisterhood play in this novel? (topic sentence)
• Using three examples from the text, explain how the relationships between sisters affect the novel’s events.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, connect your essay back to the theme of The Importance of Family.

Full Essay Assignments

Student Prompt: Write a structured and well-developed essay. Include a thesis statement, at least three main points supported by textual details, and a conclusion.

1. The events of this novel are marked with tragedy, grief, and wrestling with the past. What argument might Lucy Foley be making about resolution? Write an essay in which you analyze how the characters in the novel contend with their past and where they are left when the novel ends. Use at least three examples from the text to support your argument, and connect your essay back to the theme of Hauntings as Manifestations of the Past.

2. It seems as if everyone has a reason to want to kill Will. How does Foley use each character’s motive to deceive the reader? Analyze the actions and information that characters hide from each other and that Foley hides from the reader. Provide examples of three characters and their deceptions to support your argument, which should be articulated in a clear thesis statement. Be sure to connect your thesis to the theme of The Power of Deceptive Appearances.

3. Two pairs of sisters appear in this novel; in addition, Aoife is Darcey’s sister. How does family appear to affect characters’ actions in the novel? Write an essay in which you analyze what the relationship between each pair of siblings tells us about The Importance of Family in the novel. Be sure to cite specific examples from the text. Be sure to include a strong central thesis that connects all your examples together.

Multiple Choice and Long Answer questions create ideal opportunities for whole-text review, unit exam, or summative assessments.

Multiple Choice

1. What is ironic about the fact that Will’s TV show is called Survive the Night?

A) It is ironic because it is filmed entirely during the daytime.

B) It is ironic because Will does not survive the night of his wedding.

C) It is ironic because Will is pampered during the show.

D) It is ironic because it is being cancelled.

2. What is the effect of beginning the novel with the lights going out and someone screaming?

A) Beginning the novel this way creates a tone of mystery surrounding the events of the wedding.

B) Beginning the novel this way causes confusion for readers.

C) Beginning the novel this way eases readers into the novel by making it clear that there is a mystery to be solved.

D) Beginning the novel this way adds to the tension between Will and Jules.

3. Why are Johnno and Will closer than their other friends?

A)  In their boarding school, Johnno protected Will from bullies, convincing them to become friends.

B) In their boarding school, Johnno was adopted by Will’s family.

C) In their boarding school, Will and Johnno dated.

D)  In their boarding school, neither of them came from money, while the others did.

4. Which of the following pairs best describes the symbolism in the relationship between Will and Johnno?

A) Past and present

B) Present and future

C) Fame and misfortune

D) Luck and hard work

5. Why does Lucy Foley make it seem as if Olivia’s biggest struggle is a breakup at the start of the novel?

A) It is a trick so the people can learn that everyone has more going on than others may realize.

B) It is a reminder that family relationships are more complicated than they seem.

C) It is a red herring meant to hide the fact that something deeper is behind her feelings.

D) It is an example of foreshadowing, since Hannah’s marriage to Charlie is ending.

6. How does Foley’s presentation of Will change as the novel builds toward its climax?

A) Foley initially presents Will as the villain, but the reader comes to see him as the hero.

B) Foley initially presents Will as charming, but the reader comes to recognize that he has caused many problems.

C) Foley initially presents Will as compelling, but the reader comes to shift their attention to Charlie.

D) Foley initially presents Will as the villain, but the reader comes to see that he is harmless.

7. Which of the following exemplifies Jules’s reaction to how Ronan acts when he meets Will?

A) Jules is moved to tears by his appreciation for Will.

B) Jules is grateful her father traveled to the Folly.

C) Jules is angry that her father is not impressed by Will.

D) Julies is sad that Ronan hasn’t met Will’s father.

8. When is the first time that Johnno took responsibilities for Will’s actions?

A) In high school with the GCSE papers

B) In college with the finance exam

C) In middle school with a spelling test

D) In high school with finals

9. Which of the following motives was a red herring to make the reader think that someone else killed Will?

A) Charlie’s love for Jules

B) Jules’s obsession with fame

C) Pete’s crush on Olivia

D) Johnno’s desire to get revenge

10. How does Aoife change as a character over the course of the novel?

A) Initially, Aoife is not given much attention; her character slowly begins to gain more depth.

B) Initially, Aoife is the focus of the novel; her character gradually withdraws into the background.

C) Initially, Aoife is Will’s best friend; her character starts to grow distant from him.

D) Initially, Aoife is a supporting actor; her character quickly fades into the background.

11. Which of the following words best describes what the storm on the Folly symbolizes?

A) Disaster

B) Reckoning

C) Marriage

D) Love

12. Which motif connects Hannah and Alice with Jules and Olivia?

A) Darkness

B) Water

C) Sisterhood

D) Pain

13. How does destroying her crown embody Jules’s character development?

A) She is realizing that Will is not the media royalty she thought he was.

B) She is coming to recognize that not everything has to be perfect.

C) She is accepting that her family will never care for her in the way that she wants.

D) She is moving on from her feelings with Charlie to focus on her marriage to Will.

14. Why is the Folly an apt setting for the novel?

A) It is a place filled with mystery, creating tension for the reader.

B) It is a place where crimes are frequently committed.

C) It is a joyful place, which embodies the spirit of the wedding.

D) It is a place where people have fled their past mistakes.

15. Ultimately, why doesn’t Hannah find full resolution at the end of the novel?

A) Her marriage to Charlie is on the rocks and she feels like she will always have to take care of him.

B) She sees Jules as a threat to her marriage now that Will is dead.

C) She thinks Johnno is innocent and plans on investigating the circumstances when they return to the mainland.

D) She wishes that she had been the one to kill Will because of what he did to her sister.

Long Answer

Compose a response of 2-3 sentences, incorporating textual details to support your response.

1. What resolution is there to be found at the end of the novel? Choose one character and discuss the effects Will’s death may have on them.

2. Even as readers, we can be deceived. Name one instance in which Lucy Foley sought to confuse or deceive readers and discuss why she did so.