Reading Group Questions for The Unseeing

Why do you think the title ‘The Unseeing’ was chosen? Who or what might it refer to?

From the beginning we know that the Edgeware Road murder is a sensational case, drawing huge crowds of people. Why are we still drawn to true crime stories?

Edmund Fleetwood, when talking to his wife, says, “Maybe in order to gain her trust, I need her to think I believe her.” Do you find this duplicitous? If you were in Edmund’s position, how would you get Sarah to tell her story?

When do you think Edmund crosses the line between pretending to believe Sarah Gale and actually believing? Do you think he ever truly does trust her? Do you?

At one point, while interrogating Sarah, Edmund tells himself that she does not look like a criminal, but then asks if it is really possible to tell. Do you think it is possible to tell who is a criminal? Do you think any person can become a criminal?

What do you think is the significance of the jewellery at the end of the book?

When reading The Unseeing we learn a lot about the court system during this time period. Can you draw any parallels with the system in place in Britain today?

Do you think the characters obtain justice within the book?

Edmund wonders whether Sarah, like his mother, has “grown practiced in the art of suppressing emotions – of concealing what she truly felt”. Do you think that women are better deceivers than men?

What did you make of Sarah’s involvement with Arthur Fleetwood? How does it colour Edmund’s involvement with the case? What do you think of the father-son relationship?

Can you understand Sarah’s decision to act as she did? Is there someone who you would protect no matter what? Where do you draw the line?