We get two very different impressions of Neil in the "Chain Letter". One is of a gentle and sensitive teen hiding his cancer from his friends in order to spare their suffering. The other is of Neil as the crazed and murderous Caretaker. Do you think Pike creates a convincing enough character that these two aspects of Neil's personality can be reconciled? If not, what do you think is lacking?

Alison claims to have learned a lesson in humility and sensitivity at the end of the book. Does this lesson follow from what she has undergone throughout the novel, and do you think her transformation is a dramatic and genuine one?

It is Fran who is responsible for talking Neil down in Chapter 17, sparing Alison's life. Do you think this is a convincing scene? Has Fran's affection for Neil been sufficiently developed to make...