The Cruelest Month

Discuss Penny’s use of elements from several different mystery subgenres. What tropes, devices, and other techniques does she use? How does she use these elements to deepen the novel’s meaning? Use examples to support your argument.

Analyze the character of Nichol. What does Gamache see in her, and why is he so willing to take her on as his protégé?

Ruth and her ducklings appear intermittently throughout the novel. What is their purpose in the text, and how does it contribute to the themes of the novel?

Analyze the character of Chief Inspector Armand Gamache. What makes him a good investigator? Why did Brébeuf feel compelled to destroy him?

How does Penny use horror-genre conventions and tropes to support the meaning of the text, despite the fact that it is not a horror novel? Why did she choose to utilize the horror genre?

The Cruelest Month develops two storylines: Hazel’s murder of Madeleines and Brébeuf’s betrayal of Gamache. How do these two narratives work together to establish and develop the book’s core themes?

Trace the Three Pines villagers’ understanding of the Hadley house throughout the novel. How does their perception of the house change over time and for what effect?

Analyze the setting of the village of Three Pines. What are some of its defining features, and how does Penny use the setting to amplify the meaning of the text?