Creatures

“An unwavering triumph.” —The New York Times Book Review

Crissy Van Meter’s Creatures is the alluring debut novel everyone has been raving about, from The New York Times to People, from Belletrist Book Club to Entertainment Weekly.

On the eve of Evangeline’s wedding on Winter Island, the groom may be lost at sea, a dead whale is trapped in the harbor, and Evie’s mostly absent mother has shown up out of the blue. From there, in this mesmerizing, provocative debut, the narrative flows back and forth through time as Evie reckons with her complicated upbringing—a weed-dealing, charming but neglectful father, a wild-child best friend—in this lush land off the coast of Southern California.
A Most Anticipated Book of the Year – according to Entertainment Weekly, The Millions and Bustle – Creatures lived up to the hype.With wit, love, and bracing flashes of anger, Creatures probes the complexities of family and abandonment, guilt and forgiveness, betrayal and grief—and exerts a pull as strong as the tides.

Book club questions for Creatures by Crissy Van Meter

Use these discussion questions to guide your next book club meeting.

What were your initial impressions of Evie? How did they change by the end of the book?

The setting of Winter Island plays a large part in Creatures. What does this island represent to Evie and her life?

Creatures could be read as a parable about climate change; it’s full of extreme weather patterns. How does the metaphor of climate change play a role in Evie’s life?

Why do you think Evie compares her memories of her father to whales? Why do you think these sections are written in second person?

The novel explores the disparity of wealth on Winter Island, where mega-wealthy summer visitors live alongside the working-class residents. What do you think Creatures is saying about poverty? About the wealthy?

Evie is continually searching for a sense of home and belonging. How do you define “home” and “family”? Where have you felt the most at home? Do you feel that “home” must be only a physical place, or can it be psychological as well?

Creatures skips around in time and mimics the ebbs and flows of the tide. How did these shifts affect your reading?

How do you feel about Evie’s father? Could you forgive him? What about Evie’s mother?

Do you believe that Evie and Liam are a good match? Do you think they should have stayed married after the affair?

Evie and Rook have a complicated friendship. Do you think betrayals in friendships are meant to be forgiven? Should Evie have forgiven Rook?

What is the significance of the title? In what ways are people compared to animals, and why?

Evie and Liam are in an open relationship with very specific rules: They won’t tell each other about their indiscretions. Why do you think, ten years into their marriage, Evie decides she wants to change their arrangement and have a monogamous relationship?

Why do you think the father is unnamed in this novel?

Ultimately, Creatures is about betrayal and forgiveness. Do you believe forgiveness is always possible?

Creatures Book Club Questions PDF

Click here for a printable PDF of the Creatures discussion questions

“Van Meter’s debut is an unwavering triumph . . . A coming-of-age that’s as human as it is wild.” —The New York Times Book Review

“An alluring, atmospheric debut.” —People

“Tenacious, wildly original and full of insight.” —San Francisco Chronicle

“Lush and complex.” —Los Angeles Times

“Lyrical.”—Bustle

“It’s one of the best novels I've read this year.” —Kristen Arnett, New York Times bestselling author of Mostly Dead Things

“Wiry, rhythmic, and wrenchingly beautiful.”—Leni Zumas, bestselling author of Red Clocks

"A beautiful look at how we navigate the pain and heartbreak that comes with being human." —NPR

This recommended reading and discussion guide are shared and sponsored in partnership with Algonquin.