Wild Eyes

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

1. What emotional response did you have to Skylar’s revelations about her past? 

2. Discuss your impressions of Skylar’s relationship with West’s children. Have you played a similar role in a child’s life? Alternatively, did you have a similar relationship with an adult when you were a child?

3. Skylar and West experience dramatic internal changes because of their love for each other. Discuss your impressions of this theme. Have you been similarly transformed by a loving or romantic relationship?

4. Skylar is a city dweller who gradually adapts to life in the country. What does the Rose Hill community offer her that Los Angeles cannot? How does her social integration into Rose Hill compare to your own living situation?

Examine the book’s relevance to societal issues, historical events, or cultural themes.

1. Skylar is a child star who is trying to branch out on her own. Discuss her work to claim her music, voice, story, and persona. How do these endeavors compare to the experiences of real-world celebrities such as Taylor Swift?

2. Wild Eyes explores how changes in a person’s environment can also change her perspective. Consider the novel in the context of the post-COVID-19 era. How does Skylar’s story relate to the loneliness epidemic and the sociocultural trend of moving away from cities and embracing more rural, communal societies?

Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and symbolism.

1. The novel is told from Skylar and West’s first-person perspectives. How do their alternating narratives create implicit parallels?

2. How does Silver both embrace and challenge traditional romance tropes throughout the narrative?

3. Skylar’s song, “Photosynthesis,” wins her an award for the song of the year. Discuss the symbolic significance of this hit single. What do the song’s lyrics—which are included in the source text—say about Skylar’s past and present states of mind?

4. At first, Skylar finds it challenging to adjust to life after West throws her phone away. Discuss the significance of West’s action. What does this dynamic say about the role of technology in mental health? What do the characters’ reactions to this conflict suggest about their dynamic as a couple?

5. Discuss Emmy and Oliver’s roles in Skylar’s Journey Toward Self-Acceptance. What do they teach her that she might not have learned by herself?