Part One: Boy Loses Girl

[High Plains]

1. Both Nick and Amy describe their first years of marriage positively, and they seemed very much in love. After three years of marriage, things started going downhill.
Where do the stress lines fall in this relationship?

2. Amy says, “He killed my soul, which should be a crime. Actually, it is a crime. According to me, at least.”
Nick is guilty of cheating, but was Amy to blame for the downfall of the marriage or was Nick? Or can both be blamed?

3. How would you describe the couple’s marriage?

4. What does it look like from the outside verses the inside?




Focus on Amy:
5. Do you find her sympathetic in part one?

6. How does she reveal herself in this first section of the book?

7. She is described as a people-pleaser, especially when it comes to Nick.
What are your thoughts on Amy’s pleasing personality? How does this relate to the disappearance?

8. In what ways doe’s Amy’s background (her parents books about her perfection) affect her as an adult?





Focus on Nick:
9. Do you find him sympathetic in part one?

10. How does he reveal himself in this first section of the book?

11. He insists from the beginning of the book that he has nothing to do with Amy’s disappearance.
Do you initially believe him?
Do you at some point in the book start suspecting him?
At any point do you begin to think he may not?

12. His attack on Amy, his affair, missing an anniversary to drink with co-workers, strip clubs...
Do you think there is more to Nick’s maddening behavior?
Is it all one-sided?

13. Did you suspect Nick’s big secret (the affair)? Were you surprised by it? Shocked?

14. At this point in the book who did you think was the primary suspect? Did you think Amy might be behind the attack?