Overview
Things We Hide from the Light (2023), a romantic story set in the fictional northern Virginia hamlet of Knockemout, is the second book in Lucy Score’s anthology series, which began with Things We Never Got Over (2022). Things We Hide from the Light follows Nash Morgan, the town’s police chief, as he attempts to rehabilitate emotionally and psychologically from the near-fatal gunshot described in the first book in the series. Only until Nash falls in love with Lina, an insurance investigator who specializes in retrieving stolen property and is dispatched to Knockemout in connection with the vehicle theft ring that nearly killed him, does Nash begin to heal. Lina, for her part, feels the same strong draw toward Nash, but she has always shunned such temptations.
The narrative follows the interactions of these two injured people, who appear to be a bad match at first, as they progress from their burning passion to the healing power of love and trust. Things We Hide from the Light quickly topped both The New York Times and Amazon best-seller lists, owing to Score’s international fan following and social media presence. Although the novel follows several traditional romance novel tropes, with an emphasis on mismatched lovers coming together, Things We Hide from the Light also goes beyond genre conventions to explore The Impact of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, how Opposites Attract, Fathers and Sons, and The Power of Community. This study guide is based on the Bloom Books paperback edition from 2023.
This guide contains profanity and discusses graphic sexual content from the novel.
Plot Summary
Nash Morgan, the Police Chief of Knockemout, Virginia, was shot months ago while attempting to break up a stolen car ring led by Duncan Hugo, the son of an underworld kingpin in neighboring Washington. Even now, FBI special agents are following Nash to protect him from retaliation from the crime family. Nash suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and has no recollection of the shooting. Nash feels alone and paranoid, despite counseling and anxiety medication, and is prone to anxiety attacks.
Angelina Solavita, an insurance investigator known for locating stolen stuff, moved into Nash’s flat. Knox, Nash’s older brother, is her ex-lover. Lina, who is dealing with her own PTSD (she nearly died from a heart problem when she was 15), is hesitant to tell Nash that she is in town to reclaim a vintage Porsche stolen by the same crime ring that shot him. Despite their instant attraction, Lina sees “hunky” Nash as more of a fling given her restless existence. Meanwhile, Nash, who is traumatized as a result of the shooting, longs for the security of a relationship.
Nash works with Officer Tate Dilton, a rookie cop who has received a number of harassment allegations. The department is facing legal action after Dilton stopped a Black couple driving a fancy car on the mistaken suspicion (caused by racial profiling) that the vehicle was stolen. The couple is now considering filing a lawsuit against the government. Dilton is placed on paid leave by Nash.
Lina investigates the disappearance of the Porsche. As she investigates, she suspects the thug who shot Nash is part of the same criminal gang that stole the sports car. Nash and Lina act on their attraction as their investigations advance. They share a passionate kiss, flirt, and spend a chaste night together when Nash gets a panic attack. They gradually open up to one another about their near-death experiences and emotions of vulnerability. Lina explains her presence in Knockemout to Nash. When the two ultimately have intercourse, the intimacy and intensity are life-changing. Lina convinces Nash to go skydiving, and as the two descend to earth tied to each other, they both feel the powerful pull of love.
Nash, along with his brother and numerous friends, intervenes when a drunken Tate Dilton and his beer mates harass Lina and her friends at a town Halloween party. A brawl breaks out. Nash relieves Tate of his responsibilities the next morning.
Lina and Nash use a network of friends to coordinate their attempts to find out who shot Nash. They’ll find Duncan Hugo and the stolen Porsche if they can solve that puzzle. Lina redirects her efforts to identifying a dark figure who has been monitoring her on a hunch from Waylay, Nash’s 12-year-old niece who was abducted by the auto thieves the night Nash was shot. Waylay recalls that one of the thugs ate wrapped candy the night of Nash’s shooting; Lina sees that the man she keeps seeing buys bags of the same candy at a convenience store.
Nash’s network of acquaintances investigating the Hugo criminal organization learns that Duncan wants to assist with federal authorities in exchange for the death of his own father, allowing him to take over the family business. Duncan had never left Knockemout, implying that Nash’s shooting was a botched attempt by an anonymous underling, but the mystery of who and where Duncan is hiding deepens.
Nash meets his estranged father, who is recovering from alcoholism after Nash’s mother died, one day after rushing to the site of a severe vehicle accident. Nash is overwhelmed, helpless, and powerless to defend anyone. Nash ends his relationship with Lina without explaining why.
Lina is kidnapped and driven to a barn on an abandoned horse farm outside of Knockemout by two thugs, one of whom is the candy guy. Lina is taken aback when she meets Tate Dilton, who turns out to be one of Duncan Hugo’s thugs.
Duncan himself makes an appearance. Lina, ever resourceful, lets her bindings slip and shocks Duncan and Tate while they play a computer game. She steals the console, flees, and hides in one of the barn’s stalls. On a whim, she contacts Waylay, who contacts Nash via the console’s IP signal. Nash and his friends flood the farm in minutes. Nash instantly recalls that Tate Dilton was the one who shot him that night. Tate grabs his gun during a tense standoff, and Nash shoots him dead. Duncan Hugo has been captured. Lina and Nash are caught in one other’s arms.
Nash and Lina vow to each other during his brother’s wedding a few days later. Nash presents Lina with an engagement ring, and the two look forward to their future together. Lina and Nash, now married, are expecting twins five years later.
Analysis of Chapters 1-8
The tale begins with two broken lives, two 30-something individuals who have both survived a near-death experience and are now dealing with the consequences of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Nash and Lina are hesitant to discuss the depth of their emotional wounds after only meeting. However, both are tortured by memories they can’t shake, view themselves as emotionally dead, and keep a careful distance from others.
Nash suffers both physical and psychological consequences as a result of the gunshot. Nash is conscious of his bullet wounds in his chest and arm whenever he puts on a jacket, turns too rapidly, or takes up a heavy object. He has trouble sleeping and is unable to focus on his work, feeling “like the useless figurehead I now was”. Worse, Nash is skeptical of everyone and feels nervous in crowds, always aware of the special agents tailing him and the insinuation that his life is in danger. He floats through his days numb and unable to care about his career, friends, or even his brother’s upcoming wedding, while he self-medicates with anxiety medicines. The fact that he can’t remember what occurred and that his shooter is still on the loose causes him the most anxiety, especially as he travels to work down the road where he was shot.
Lina’s case is more complicated than Nash’s, whose gunshot rocked the town and whose recovery everyone is watching. Lina, rather than avoiding the physical symptoms of the heart abnormality that nearly killed her when she was 15, overcompensates by adhering to a strict training regimen and pushing herself to run miles every morning. She also maintains an emotional distance from others. Lina keeps her trauma to herself, further isolating her. She deflects Nash’s innocent questions about why she’s in town; despite her attraction to him, she rejects the idea of getting close, steadfast in her commitment to dealing with PTSD by protecting herself. “I may have appeared to be a wild child on paper,” she acknowledges, “but I was simply carrying out a long-planned strategy.” I was patient, rational, and virtually always calculated the risks I took”. The experience of rescuing Piper together is symbolic—both Lina and Nash are caught in their psychologically damaging states, just like the dog in the pipe. The mending procedure for both begins with gently coaxing the animal out and caring for it.
On the surface, Nash and Lina could not be more psychologically dissimilar, which is structurally important for the romantic plot framework at work in this novel: the concept of Opposites Attract. Sexually, the two are a terrific match—both are quickly and healthily attracted to one another. Lina finds it stimulating, rather than worrisome, to overhear Nash masturbating in the shower while shouting her name; similarly, Nash feels erotically charged by, rather than jealous of, the notion of Lina spending a sex-filled weekend with Nolan. However, they appear to be psychologically unsuited. Nash requires someone to break up his seclusion, but Lina requires people to respect her protective limits. Lina wants a wild weekend, but Nash needs a connection. Their shared care for the puppy, on the other hand, demonstrates how their opposing personalities can coexist. Both characters compare their duties (policing and insurance inquiry) to putting together a difficult puzzle, finding ways, as Nash later informs Lucian, “to make even pieces that seem from different puzzles’ ‘ . Nash and Lina collaborate to design a strategy for removing the dog from the drain pipe, marking the first time in a long time that either has accomplished a common goal with the assistance of someone else. By alternating narrative perspectives, the novel reinforces the cooperation of these opposites. As the narrative changes from Nash to Lina, readers learn what Nash and Lina must learn: no single point of view is sufficient. As a result, the narrative form highlights the inadequacies of a single voice.
Analysis of Chapters 9-17
Nash’s post-traumatic stress disorder is still a major issue in these chapters, as readers discover the degree of his affliction. Nash’s panic episode in Chapter 11 puts him helpless: “My heart raced beneath my ribs as the familiar ache spread.” My legs gave out before I got to the bottom of the steps. “I slid down to the cold tile after colliding with the wall”.. This is the tragic reason Nash is unable to work, sleep, or socialize. Nash suffers from PTSD-related free-floating anxiety, so the attack comes out of nowhere after an evening with his brother and friends.
Nash’s collapse is used in the narrative to erase some of the “macho swagger” that his big body and position as police chief project: Lina finds him huddled up in a sweaty ball at the bottom of their apartment stairs. Nash attempts to make a joke about his collapse as he emerges from the attack. “So what are the odds that you’ll magically forget this ever happened?”. Lina offers to help Nash up the apartment steps to his door, which begins Nash’s long-term emotional recovery. Lina does this by wrapping her arms around Nash’s waist and leaning against her. Nash and Lina are initially uncomfortable with this because Nash is not used to laying his weight on another person and Lina is not used to having someone entirely rely on her. At the same time, Lina’s nonsexual physical contact pushes her beyond her PTSD-based rule of never being touched unless there is sex involved. As the two temper their explosive sexual chemistry in order to open up and accept one another’s flaws, they find solace in “reaching out in the dark and linking their hands on the covers”..
The experience teaches both of them the value of dependence. Furthermore, when Lina shares her near-death experience on the soccer field, she connects on a psychological level with Nash: both have invisible and apparent scars from their experiences. Lina also shows Nash the network of little scars on her chest, which are the result of her collapse, her coach’s CPR, and two years of treatment and recuperation. Lina’s scars resemble Nash’s bullet hole wounds and show that, like Nash curled up in the fetal position, she is never far from her trauma. These connections help to dispel Lina and Nash’s portrayal as polar opposites.
A variant of suspense is one of the structural aspects of a romance novel: the gradual buildup of sexual tension between two characters who will eventually have sex. Score builds on the first section’s development of attraction by getting her protagonists into bed together but without allowing them to have a sexual encounter. Instead, there is a relatively comparable scene of Lina having a solitary orgasm next to the sleeping Nash to match Nash’s masturbation scene. This is also one of the hallmarks of the romance genre’s modernity (See: Background). Unlike previous versions of this type of narrative, which euphemized sex even when emphasizing the exploration of desire, this novel’s sex scenes use explicit, plain language, relying on conventional anatomical jargon and depicting sexual actions in minute detail.
Lucian Rollins, a boyhood buddy of Nash and Knox, is described as “six feet four inches of sin in a suit”. Everything about Lucian appears “threatening”, even his work as a political consultant notorious for using Machiavellian tactics to bring down politicians. Lucian, on the other hand, is a dedicated and compassionate buddy who understands victimhood. His backstory, which Nash later discusses with Lina, revolves on the Fathers and Sons. Lucian fought back against his abusive father when he was a teenager. As a result, Lucian was briefly imprisoned because no one stood up for him: “And all it would have taken,” Nash says to Lina, “was for one good cop to do the right thing”. Nash’s awareness of the need for cops to not shield bad behavior on the force leads him to discipline Dilton—actions that remind Nash of the skill he once shown in his profession.
So far, Lucian’s role in the story has been to shield his emotionally wounded friend Nash, who is “going through a difficult time” of emotional vulnerability from Lina, who Lucian knows is prone to rash partnerships. These chapters highlight what will become a vital component in Nash’s recovery by demonstrating Lucian’s protective interest in him: The Power of Community. The theme is highlighted as Nash acknowledges the nurse who saved his life. Despite her dismissal of her part in his rescue (she chuckles, “It’s not every night a girl finds the chief of police bleeding out on the side of the road”, his gratitude is healing. Nash recognizes that he requires the assistance of others—the community in which he has created his life.
Analysis of Chapters 18-25
In this section, Nash and Lina’s potential romance takes a second seat. Lina’s failure to tell Nash that she is in Knockemout to recover a car taken by the same car theft group that was involved in Nash’s shooting creates a new barrier between the two. Simultaneously, Nash’s rage toward Lina is improper and out of scale. Nash’s visceral reaction upon seeing Lina emerge from the women’s prison and then reviewing the visitors list to confirm her numerous visits to Duncan Hugo had a panic attack because of his ex-girlfriend. These inclinations to conceal and explode are frequent responses to Nash and Lina’s PTSD. As usual, Nash feels Lina is untrustworthy: “I needed something from Lina that she didn’t seem willing to give.” Something as necessary to me as breath. Sincerity”. Lina, for her part, reacts by departing without saying anything, retreating for her own protection, and adopting a cold tone: “I didn’t lie […] I only omitted part of the truth” . Lina and Nash’s embryonic love is shattered as they struggle with their PTSD.
The unexpected visit from Nash’s father, Duke, deepens his psychological profile in these chapters, paralleling the story of Lucian Rollins and his father and adding to the novel’s exploration of father-son interactions. The uncomfortable interaction in Nash’s office brings back painful childhood memories, including the death of his mother in a car accident, which pushed his previously strong father into such a deep melancholy that he became homeless and developed a substance use disorder. Rather than sympathizing with his father’s incapacity to cope with his depression, Nash finds him repugnant: “That failure never got easier for [him] to stomach” .
Nash refuses to forgive his father, a rejection that the narrative suggests is fueled by Nash’s willful ignorance of his father’s PTSD. Instead of assisting his father in his struggle with drug addiction, loneliness, and despair, Nash distances himself from Duke: “Years of disappointment and trauma had made physical affection between us a foreign language”. He believes his father is only there to take advantage of him and cannot believe Duke is trying to put himself back together and wants his son’s acceptance and support. Nash regards Duke as “toxic”, despite his father’s offer of an apology for his numerous mistakes. This breakdown in communication foreshadows Duncan Hugo’s relationship with his crime boss father, another vicious cycle of disappointment and frustration, traumas exacerbated by a lack of communication.
The event is reminiscent of Nash’s earlier rescue of the dog Piper from the drainpipe. Here, too, he meets a fellow man who appears to be locked in an inevitable downward spiral—but instead of utilizing his puzzle-solving skills to free his father, Nash is unable to overcome their toxic connection. The narrative implies that Nash cannot help someone else without the assistance of others—Piper was only rescued because Lina was also present.
By comparing Nash’s standoff with Duke with Lina’s blossoming friendships with women she meets at her gym, convenience store, apartment complex, and library, these chapters predict the cure to dysfunction—the support and help of a caring community. Lina feels at home in this relatively little village, basking in the warmth of recognition. The newly discovered sense of belonging culminates in Chapter 19’s bail jumper scenario, in which her friends Sloane and Naomi play important roles in apprehending the fleeing hacker. The buddies triumph together, foreshadowing the novel’s ending.
Analysis of Chapters 26-35
These chapters contribute to the expansion of the Knockemout community in a variety of ways. Lina is kidnapped in broad daylight while dutifully surveilling a property where she believes one of Hugo’s henchmen lives, and the reader assumes this is the work of the same crime gang that shot Nash. Her protective, Coldplay-listening captors, on the other hand, are members of the town’s biker gang, commanded by Burger King fanatic Grim. Grim defies expectation despite his name, enormous frame, and characteristic black leather outfit: munching on a salad, he is polite and informed, informing Lina of Duncan Hugo’s position and the risk he still poses to Nash. Another community event, the library’s Halloween celebration, demonstrates Knockemout’s smallness, where bumping into old friends is normal and delightful. Lina runs into Angie, a high school buddy, there.
Lina feels an odd yearning for Angie and her husband’s life as she watches them passionately follow their twins around. Angie recounts that they were on the verge of losing one of the boys to leukemia, but the agony of treatment, sleepless nights, rising bills, and fear only served to bring her and her husband closer together. Their experience demonstrates that it is possible to recover psychologically from the types of horrific circumstances that have left Lina and Nash with PTSD, but only with the support of a close network of friends. Finally, the unconventional biker gang and the coincidence of the Halloween party provide a contrast to Dilton’s actual violent and dangerous gangsters. This group is portrayed in the novel as the polar opposite of community—they are racist, sexist, alcoholic bullies who offer no support or assistance to the rest of the town.
Grim’s information about Duncan Hugo—that he is plotting a huge attack on his father—introduces readers to another of the novel’s delicate father-son connections. Anthony Hugo rules an underground empire with the same hard fist he criticizes his only son’s incapacity. Rather than reinforcing Duncan’s devotion, Anthony regards Duncan as a threat to the family company, not least since Duncan’s inept attempt to get the list of confidential informants has drawn the FBI’s attention to their criminal enterprise. Duncan, who is estranged from Anthony, is now out to destroy his father by providing anonymous tips to the FBI. “Duncan steps into Daddy’s shoes”, when the Feds have enough evidence to arrest Anthony.
While the narrative has already established that Nash and Lina are merely diametrically opposed on paper, the dramatic turmoil of their relationship must continue in order for the romance novel’s framework to succeed. Their split fuels their attraction to opposites, making any post-breakup meeting fraught with sexual tension and heightened emotions. However, there is never a genuine indication that the two will remain apart. Even when Lina agrees to meet Nolan for drinks, their conversation foreshadows Lina and Nash’s reunion, as he tells Lina how his career cost him his marriage and that being married to a job is lonely and unfulfilling. Instead, the temporary setup heightens the first time they have sex—both figuratively and literally, as Things We Hide from the Light follows the fantastical romance novel trope of first-time sex being incredible without any discussion of preferences or knowledge of the other’s body. “I’d never felt this way before,” both are overcome by the event. “I’ve never lost myself inside a woman like this before”. Lina and Nash must now discover the same level of emotional fusion as Lina’s friend Angie and Knox’s friendship with Naomi and Waylay, now that the sexual part of their relationship has been consummated.
Analysis of Chapters 36-44
These chapters give hope for Nash and Lina’s persisting PTSD, which manifests as hair-trigger mood swings and paranoia. While their sexual attraction is off the charts, as is typical of a romance novel’s sexual component, their relationship must enter a new phase of mutual trust and stability. To get there, Score returns to the theme of Lina and Nash seeking relationship counsel from everyone around them. Lina learns that relationships are not prisons after an emotional phone chat with her mother, who admits her mistake of wanting to shelter Lina from everything following her cardiac arrest. Similarly, after reading a devastating letter from his father and then witnessing a family split apart by a car accident, Nash experiences a brief bout of powerlessness, but his self-imposed solitude suddenly feels wrong—he doesn’t want to push Lina away.
The novel proposes that, similar to their first meeting, which revolved around figuring out how to get Piper out of a drainpipe, the way to bridge the emotional distance between Lina and Nash is through another collaborative project: this time, finding Duncan Hugo. This time, however, they have the full support of their friends. As everyone comes together to help, the narrative demonstrates The Power of Community: Except for Nolan, no one who shows up has any police training, nor does anybody have a personal stake in finding Duncan. Nonetheless, they are ready to assist in store surveillance, looking for strangers in town, noting any questionable people, and (in the case of Lucian) tracing Duncan via the IP address of his video console. Most significantly, the community vows to look out for one another, creating a network of cooperation on which Lina and Nash can rely.
During Nash and Lina’s first date, the novel’s interest in how opposites attract takes a new turn. Instead of considering the couple’s possible mismatch, readers focus on the opposing impulses within each of them individually. Nash, who aspires to be a traditional family guy with a wife and children, has a sexual experience with Lina in a public café, which is uncharacteristic of the police chief. Lina, who has always disliked being touched, finds Nash’s calm physical proximity reassuring. When Lina “freaks out” for a moment after Nash explains the rationale of her moving in with him until Duncan Hugo is captured, Nash gently rubs her arms, relieving Lina’s anxiety: “I hated the fact that instantly felt better”.
Epilogue Analysis in Chapter 45
Lina’s suggestion that Nash go skydiving strengthens their friendship. Nash, a first-time skydiver, is strapped to Lina, a qualified skydiver, and the two enjoy physical and emotional closeness as they freefall from the plane. The psychological demands of the jump, which stimulates the same type of adrenaline that often accompanies PTSD symptoms, are transformed here into a relaxing natural high: “We were so far away from everything that seemed so important on earth.” We were isolated from the minutiae of daily life up here. There was nothing but stillness, peace, and beauty here”. Being in the thrill of the moment together provides some of the necessary healing, putting into perspective a life they never imagined possible. The long-term consequences of this jump are immediately apparent. Soon after, Nash regains memories of his shot, allowing him to manage his anxieties by facing the man who attempted to kill him. The clash between the injured Dilton and the newly empowered Nash completes the healing process: Nash fires three bullets, which resound across the vast barn and “inside [Nash’s] head”, signifying the resolution of his traumas.
The action plot of the novel closes with the assertion of The Power of Community. The ragged group of friends and family work together to bring down Duncan Hugo, unravel the mystery of Nash’s shooting, and neutralize the threat posed by the toxic Tate Dilton. When Lina is kidnapped, readers witness her resourcefulness and calm under pressure: She recognizes the man she’s been noticing following her eats the same chocolates Waylay remembers, records the location of the barn, slips her bindings, and manages to use Duncan Hugo’s video gaming console against him. But, unlike her previous experiences, Lina is not alone. Lina communicates with her crew via the console, and her rescue and the downfall of the bad guys rely on this support. Lina and Nash’s feelings of trust and support throughout their skydiving journey take on a much more significant and life-saving dimension here.
The happy ending is one of the most conventional and expected characteristics of the romance genre, so much so that it has its own abbreviation, HEA, which stands for “happily ever after.” Despite modernizing many of the genre’s earlier clichés, this tale doubles down on the HEA. The novel’s approach to the novel’s love plotline’s conclusion is to employ the continuous topic of Opposites Attract; however, Nash and Lina have internalized portions of the other’s personality and preferences, such that their former mismatch can now become a fit. Nash, who is normally buttoned-up, decides on a dramatic gesture to reassure Lina that his love is eternal and a part of who he is: a tattoo of angel wings to represent the spiritual depth of their relationship.
This rash physical change would have been uncharacteristic of Nash. Similarly, while Lina had spent the novel being averse to commitment, she makes a significant turn in the two Epilogues: she and Nash become engaged, marry, and have twins. In line with the beautiful moment when Lina and Nash were poised high above the globe, the novel concludes with them reaffirming their love at ground level: apart, they stumble and are powerless, but together, they soar and are unstoppable.
Discussion Questions
1. How do Nash and Lina’s coping mechanisms for PTSD reflect their distinct personalities and experiences?
2. In what ways does the novel challenge traditional gender stereotypes through the characters of Nash and Lina?
3. Explore the role of control in Lina’s life as a coping mechanism for PTSD. How does it shape her relationships and interactions?
4. Discuss the impact of near-death experiences on Nash and Lina, and how these events continue to influence their lives and choices.
5. How does the novel portray the theme of love as a catalyst for healing from PTSD? Provide examples from Nash and Lina’s journey.
6. Analyze the significance of Nash’s desire for stability and family versus Lina’s resistance to settling down. How does this dynamic contribute to the story?
7. Explore the parallels between Nash and Lina’s relationships with their parents. How do these relationships contribute to their character development?
8. Discuss the symbolism of Lina’s commitment to physical fitness as part of her PTSD management. How does it extend beyond a response to her cardiac scare?
9. In what ways does the novel challenge the idea that controlling one’s environment is an effective strategy for handling PTSD?
10. Reflect on the notion that embracing vulnerability and taking risks in love are essential for overcoming PTSD anxiety, as suggested by the novel’s conclusion. How does this theme resonate throughout the story?
Reflection Essays
1. Reflect on the narrative choice to split the storytelling between Lina and Nash in the novel. Consider how this technique enhances the exploration of PTSD themes and contributes to the overall narrative structure.
2. Examine the use of the “trauma plot” trope in the novel, focusing on how Lina and Nash’s near-death experiences serve as characterization tools. Evaluate the effectiveness of this shorthand in genre fiction and discuss potential limitations or oversimplifications.
3. Explore the role of description and imagery in the novel, analyzing how elements like weather, décor, clothing, and visual details contribute to character development and plot progression. Consider the impact of these literary devices on the reader’s experience.
4. Compare the behaviors of the novel’s parental figures—Anthony Hugo, Duke Morgan, Lina’s parents, and Lucian’s father. Discuss the influence of their actions on the next generation and how family dynamics shape the characters’ trajectories.
5. Reflect on the expectation of a happily-ever-after ending in romance fiction. Analyze whether the novel adheres to or subverts this trope in its conclusion, providing reasons for the author’s choice.
6. Investigate Tate Dilton’s animosity towards Nash, drawing connections to his marriage, alcohol use, racism, and aggression. Propose a reasonable explanation for Dilton’s desire to harm the police chief based on the information provided in the novel.
7. Discuss the positioning of secondary characters for potential future novels in the Knockemout anthology series. Explore how Score creates intrigue and mystery around characters not central to the main plot.
8. Explore the novel’s treatment of desire and sexuality, considering how the author meets reader expectations of titillation. Analyze rhetorical and literary techniques that heighten sexual suspense or enhance descriptions of physical intimacy.
9. Compare the friendships depicted in the novel, specifically examining Lina’s relationships with Sloane and Naomi in contrast to Nash’s friendships with Lucian and Knox. Highlight the differences in the dynamics and significance of these friendships.
10. Analyze the meaning of the title “Opposites Attract,” delving into the hidden “things” and the metaphorical light mentioned in the novel. Trace the juxtaposition of light and darkness throughout the narrative and its thematic significance.