The following version of this book was used to create this guide: Makkai, Rebecca. I Have Some Questions for You. Viking, 2023.

Rebecca Makkai’s novel I Have Some Questions for You is written from the first-person perspective; throughout the narrative, Makkai primarily utilizes the past tense. The novel is an epistolary work, in which the protagonist, Bodie Kane, addresses her former music teacher, Denny Bloch.

Bodie Kane is a successful podcaster who lives with her husband, Jerome, and their children in Los Angeles. Although they are separated, Bodie and Jerome live cordially in abutting duplexes. As a teenager, Bodie attended a New Hampshire boarding school called Granby. During her senior year in 1995, one of her classmates—Thalia Keith—was murdered. A young Black athletic trainer named Omar Evans was arrested and sent to prison. In 2018, Bodie returns to Granby to teach a two-week course on podcasting. Prior to her return, she researches online conspiracies that dissect the circumstances surrounding Thalia’s death.

At Granby, Bodie reunites with one of her best friends, Fran, who now teaches at the school. She recalls her own days at Granby, during which she felt deeply alienated from the largely wealthy student body. Bodie’s father and brother both died prior to her time at Granby; a Mormon family paid for her tuition. One of Bodie’s students, Britt, decides to focus her podcast on Thalia’s murder and, in particular, the possibility of Omar’s innocence. Another student named Alder later joins in. Bodie and Britt both suspect that the police coerced a confession from Omar and that they pinned the crime on him, in part, because of his race.

Fran and Bodie discuss Thalia’s death and her possible romance with Denny Bloch, the music teacher, with whom Bodie was also close. They review the facts of Thalia’s death: her body was found in the swimming pool, with evidence that she had been beaten and strangled. Police allegedly found Omar’s DNA on her swimsuit. Friends recall Thalia having relationship problems with an older man; Bodie wonders if this was Mr. Bloch.

Bodie remembers her junior year, during which she and Thalia were roommates. Thalia was kind but sometimes distant. Britt interviews Bodie, who describes the night of Thalia’s death. Many of Thalia’s friends—including her boyfriend, Robbie Serenho—attended a party during the hours in which she most likely died. Bodie remembers an afternoon when she saw Thalia looking through a dumpster. She wondered if Thalia might have been on drugs; when police interviewed her, she shared this suspicion. Bodies worries that this might have inadvertently led to Omar’s arrest.

Bodie learns that a woman has accused Jerome, a successful artist, of misbehavior. The woman alleges that Jerome took advantage of the power dynamic between them. Many people online call for retribution against Jerome. Bodie, while drunk, posts a defense of her husband. She immediately faces backlash, including the possibility that she will lose her podcast.

Yahav, a law professor and Bodie’s occasional lover, visits Granby and breaks up with Bodie. Bodie senses that all aspects of her life are beginning to crumble. She focuses more intently on Thalia’s death and Mr. Bloch’s potential role in the crime. Under the auspices of helping Britt and Alder with their podcast, Bodie reaches out to Thalia’s sister, Vanessa. They meet for coffee, and Vanessa shares Thalia’s planner, which includes a complex series of dots and X’s. Bodie reveals that the dots helped Thalia track her period; Bodie showed her this method. She suspects that the X’s denoted days when Thalia had sex with someone. The two different colors suggest that Thalia was having sex with both Robbie and an unknown second person. Bodie shares the case with Yahav, who agrees that the case for Omar’s conviction was extremely weak. Bodie, who is preparing to leave Granby, tells Britt and Alder that she will continue to help with the podcast. She suggests, off-handedly, that Britt and her science class search an athletic shed near the gym for new clues. They find remnants of blood; when police arrive, they identify this as Thalia’s blood.

In 2022, Bodie returns to New Hampshire as a potential witness in a motion for retrial for Omar. Britt, Alder, and Bodie’s podcast attracted a great deal of attention and helped to pave the way for this motion. Bodie and Jerome have officially divorced but remain friendly. In New Hampshire, Bodie reunites with several former classmates, all in town for the hearing. This includes Geoff, one of her best friends at Granby. A defense team preps Bodie for her appearance in court; the prosecution is attempting to portray Bodie as a vain, nosy reporter. One evening, Bodie runs into Dane Rubra, an online conspiracy theorist obsessed with Thalia’s case. Worried that Denny Bloch’s name will not come up in the hearing, Bodie tells Dane about Bloch’s potential role in the murder. Dane soon tells his many followers about Bloch.

Bodie gets together with Mike Stiles, a close friend of Robbie, who tells her about the secret societies that existed at Granby. She also speaks with Thalia’s friend Beth Docherty. Beth suggests that Denny Bloch showed predatory behavior towards young girls; she confirms that he and Thalia were sleeping together.

One evening, Bodie, Geoff, and Alder examine photographs from the night of Thalia’s death. They notice mud tracks on Robbie’s sweatshirt and suspect that this might have been from riding a bike. They reason that if Robbie rode a bike to the party on the night of Thalia’s death, his alibi falls apart; it is possible that he had time to murder Thalia. Bodie speaks with Mike, who confirms that Robbie was instrumental in getting all of their stories straight. Robbie assured his friends that he had been at the party all night. Bodie returns to speak with Beth, who recalls Robbie sneaking up on her at the party (thus suggesting that he had been elsewhere). Beth then describes Robbie as a controlling and sometimes violent boyfriend. She agrees, eventually, to testify to her memories, thus implicating Robbie. Bodie realizes that she was wrong to suspect Mr. Bloch, but notes that his actions still hurt Thalia and contributed, indirectly, to her death.

Months later, Bodie learns that the judge declined Omar’s motion for retrial. She again returns to Granby to spend time with Fran. She thinks of Omar and considers the nature of hope.