Are you part of a book club or looking to start one? The Witch of Willow Sound by Vanessa F. Penney makes a great book club pick!
A modern, fast-paced, feminist, and sometimes even funny East Coast gothic with fresh regional folklore about a woman searching for her missing elderly aunt, long suspected to be a witch by the local villagers.
Book Club Questions (Spoilers ahead!)
Imagine yourself away from the world in a cozy cottage in the forest. Your own version of Willow Sound, just for you. Outside the window, wildflowers sway. Door locked. Candles lit. You sink into the soft chair beside the fire. The world is quiet and peaceful and yours to enjoy. What’s baking in the oven behind you? What’s warming on top of the old stove? What’s in the cup next to your chair? What’s in your hands, on your lap, to comfort you and pass the time?
When you read the opening scene, what did you suspect was happening? What did you guess about the identity of the body and the narrator? Did you think back on it later as you read?
Why do you think the people of Grand Tea chose to live under the rock? Would you live somewhere there was a small risk, or would you leave the places and people you know?
Throughout time, we see women in literature described as ”mad“ that, with a modern perspective, we know that not to be true. Did The Witch of Willow Sound bring any of those to mind? As you read, did you find yourself confronting your own assumptions about people deemed mad?
The Witch of Willow Sound honours many traditional Gothic horror tropes. Did you notice any that were subverted, and how did you think that worked?
What did you make of Fade’s second encounter with the wolf? Why do you think the author chose to bring the wolf back once more?
Do you sense a spark between Quill and Fade? Do you think that might become good friends or even more? If so, who do you think would message the other one first? (Or, if not, who do you think would win in a fight?)
While often two leads fall into romance, Nish and Fade instead became chosen family. Did their friendship satisfy you? Where do you hope Nish and Fade will go next?
Throughout the story, history and historians are mentioned frequently as heroes, preserving the past and its lessons. Between the afterword and Nish’s history lesson on accusations of witchcraft, were you surprised by some of the historical realities?
Consider the final chapter: How does it honour the Luck women? How does it sit alongside the opening chapter?
What is your Willow Sound spell?If you had a photo of yourself tucked away for the people you love to find, what would they discover written on the back? What foods, plants, smells, tastes, sights, or sounds do you love most that would help people remember you when they miss you, conjuring you back?
