This reading group guide for Crazy Love You includes an introduction, discussion questions, ideas for enhancing your book club, and a Q&A with author Lisa Unger . The suggested questions are intended to help your reading group find new and interesting angles and topics for your discussion. We hope that these ideas will enrich your conversation and increase your enjoyment of the book. Introduction Darkness has a way of creeping up when Ian is with Priss. Even when they were kids, playing in the old woods of their small town, he could feel it. Still, Priss was his best friend, his only friend. Ian''s time with Priss was his salvation from the bullies who called him "loser" and "fatboy" . and from his family''s deadly secrets.
Now Ian has escaped his home, his family, and the tortured shell of his childhood. A talented and successful graphic novelist living in the most expensive neighborhood of Manhattan, Ian has put his past behind him . except for Priss. Priss is still trouble. The booze, the drugs, the sex--Ian is growing tired of late nights together trying to keep the past at bay. Especially now that he''s met sweet, beautiful Megan, whose love makes him want to change for the better. But Priss doesn''t like change. Change makes her angry.
And when Priss is angry, terrible things begin to happen . Topics & Questions for Discussion 1. On page 4 of Crazy Love You , Ian says, "When the darkness calls, it''s a siren song." This idea, the allure of the darker side of life, is one of the major themes of the novel. How does Ian''s perspective on this idea change throughout his life and throughout the course of the book? Is it an idea you can sympathize with? How? 2. Ian is a classic unreliable narrator. How does his unreliability influence the development of the plot in Crazy Love You ? At what point did you realize Ian might not always be telling the whole truth? 3. The comics that Ian writes--Fatboy and Priss--form a substantial part of the plot of Crazy Love You .
How does the author use Ian''s work as a tool to illustrate or hint at themes and plot points throughout the novel? 4. On page 10, Ian says of Priss, "The more I had of her in ink, the less I wanted or needed her in life." How does this reflect Ian''s attitude toward life in general? Does the world of comics help Ian deal with real life? Or does it make it more difficult? 5. Why are comic books so appealing to Ian as a child, and why do you think he didn''t grow out of them, as so many kids do? Discuss your own relationship with comics (or lack thereof). 6. Priss has multiple incarnations as a character throughout the story. What are the boundaries between the different versions of her? Which is the "real" Priss? Is there one? 7. Throughout the story, the Whispers that Ian hears are an enormous influence on his life.
What do you think the Whispers are? What do they symbolize in The Hollows? Have you ever experienced anything like the Whispers? 8. What was it in his life that made Ian so susceptible to Priss''s manipulation? Why did Priss, in turn, have such a great need for Ian? What are the things in our own lives that make us vulnerable to things that harm us? 9. Ian''s relationship with Megan and her family hinges on his difficulty with accepting the stability and normalcy of their life compared with his own. Do you share his doubts and misgivings about the closeness of Megan''s family, or do you think he''s just insecure? Why? 10. One of the most important themes of Crazy Love You revolves around fate. Is it possible to change our circumstances, or are we bound to our fate? Can the people in our lives be changed for better or for worse? How does Ian''s judgment of this question evolve throughout the novel? 11. A prominent theme in Crazy Love You is the power and influence of addiction. How is Ian both a typical and atypical addict? Does Ian''s relationship with Priss constitute an addiction? Why or why not? Do you think we can ever really be addicted to another human being? 12.
The difference between fiction and reality emerges as a major theme in Crazy Love You . The more we learn about Ian''s life, the more the line between his art and his actual life starts to blur. What do you think of Ian''s negotiation between his own life and his art? Do you think all fiction has some reality in it? 13. In Eloise Montgomery''s words from page 282, the only two "primary motivators" are love and fear--everything else is merely secondary. Do you agree with her analysis in the context of Ian''s story? Why or why not? 14. The reader''s perspective on Ian and Priss''s relationship evolves dramatically over the course of the Crazy Love You . Do you agree with the peace that Ian arrives at in regards to Priss, or do you think he''s delusional? Do you think Ian made the right choices at the end? Or is he still in Priss''s thrall? Enhance Your Book Club 1. In more ways than one, Priss plays the role of Ian''s muse.
From the muses of classical Greek myth, to the real life muses of the Romantic poets, there are muses of some kind or another scattered across history: Research the history of muses in literature, and pick either a fictional or real muse to present to your group. How does Priss fit the role of a muse and how does she differ? 2. The world of comics is one that Ian holds close to his heart, and in modern culture he is not alone. Team up with one or more of your group members to make a comic of your own design--a superhero comic or something more personal. Your comic can be funny, serious, action-packed or meditative--whatever strikes your fancy. Draw an entire book, or simply one detailed panel. Share your work with your group. 3.
The history of The Hollows plays a crucial role in Crazy Love You . Although your town may not have as haunting a history as Ian''s, you probably have a historical society or museum in your local area. Plan a visit, do some research about your town''s past, and present your findings to your group. 4. Join the conversation! www.LisaUnger.com and www.facebook.
com/authorlisaunger are great resources for more information on Lisa Unger''s novels and a way to meet other fans of Crazy Love You . Check out the videos on LisaUnger.com with your group and share your favorite parts of Crazy Love You with Lisa on Facebook. A Conversation with Lisa Unger Ian is such a compelling and convincing narrative voice. How did you develop his character? Does he bear a resemblance to anyone in your own life? Usually I can pinpoint an exact moment when I started hearing a character''s voice. There''s generally a germ or a seed that gives me a little buzz of excitement and leads me to do some research. And then I start hearing a voice, or seeing a scene over and over. That''s when I sit down to start writing.
But I don''t know why I started hearing Ian. He was just in my head one day. I knew that he was a graphic novelist and that he had some major problems that he was keeping at bay with his various addictions--pills, work, weed. He was in a dark spiral and in a toxic relationship that was enabling his various issues. But that was all I knew. When I first started hearing him, he had an apocalyptic hangover. So that''s where we started our journey together, on the cold floor of his bathroom. Comic books and comic book culture are an obviously important thread in Crazy Love You .
Is it a world you were already familiar with before starting the novel? How did you do your research, if not? I was not familiar with this world--at all. In fact, I had to call my friend author Gregg Hurwitz (who writes comics as well as stellar thrillers) and say: "You know, my new character is a graphic novelist and I don''t know anything about this. Can you help me?" He put me in touch with Jud Meyer from Blastoff Comics in North Hollywood. And Jud opened the door to this world for me. He shared his own experiences, sent me piles of books, and answered all my questions. I just dove into this very colorful and amazingly creative universe and loved every minute. Jud was a the perfect guide, as well as the sweetest, kindest person in the world. He was the best source a writer could have.
Ian as a kid finds incredible solace in comic books, so much so that he dedicates his life to that world. When did you discover mysteries? When did you realize that you wanted to write your own? I think most creative people find a home in their art before they find one in the real world. Books were certainly my first love, and the darker, the more thrilling, the more complex, the better. So I was young (inappropriately so) when I started reading mysteries, thriller and horror novels. My family moved around a lot, so even when I was the outsider at a new school or a new neighborhood, I was at home with books. Pretty early I had that moment when I went from being a reader to being a writer, from being someone who disappeared into other people''s stories to one who wanted to create her own. Once I discovered that I could do that, I never stopped. I really relate to that part of Ian who prefers a fictional world to the often cruel and unforgiving real one.
Like many of your other books, Crazy Love You takes place, at least partial.