Complicit by Winnie M Li

Please find the discussion questions for our November 2023 pick, Complicit by Winnie M Li below! I’d love to hear what you thought of the book.

• You can the ongoing book club discussions in the Facebook group here.
• You can order your copy of the book here or you can buy all three of our quarter 4 book club picks (at a discounted rate!) here.

QUESTION 1

Complicit tells a story that we think we already know through real-life headlines, but from a lesser-known perspective. How did the book make you feel about this topic in the end? Did it make you feel angry? Sad? Empowered? Hopeful for change? Did any part of the story come as a surprise to you?

QUESTION 2

Can you understand why Sarah Lai made the choices she did at the time, when she was working with Hugo North? Do you believe she was complicit in a system that abused and mistreated women, or was she a victim in her own way?

QUESTION 3

Did the book help you understand why so many real-life perpetrators in the film industry and beyond were able to get away with their behavior for so long?

QUESTION 4

Did you like the character of Sylvia Zimmerman? How would you describe her relationship with Sarah? Was she a protective mentor toward a younger woman in the industry, or did she exploit Sarah and expose her to other dangers?

QUESTION 5

Sylvia’s career suffers because of her dedication as a mother, and Holly undergoes rigorous scrutiny over her appearance. What are some other examples in the book of how women are disadvantaged and held to a different standard from men? How does the book depict female ambition in a male-dominated workplace?

QUESTION 6

Why do you think the author inserted the transcripts from other interviews Thom Gallagher was conducting in his investigation?

QUESTION 7

Complicit interrogates the concept of the American dream: that in America, anyone can work hard to achieve individual success in their career. Does the book agree with this idea?

QUESTION 8

Did you enjoy the film industry setting and the many references to films? Did you learn anything surprising or eye-opening about how films are made?

QUESTION 9

Sarah claims that in the film industry, money ultimately decides everything. Do you think this is true in other contexts?

QUESTION 10

Storytelling and silence are important themes in Complicit. The book opens with a bitter, cynical thirty-nine-year-old Sarah, who has kept silent about what happened to her when she was young and eager. Over the course of the novel, what do you think the process of sharing her story does for Sarah? And what does the end seem to be saying about the collective value of sharing so many individual stories and the #MeToo movement more broadly?