Malibu Rising

Why is Malibu so important and why does the author begin and end by focusing on Malibu and its history of fire?

Family and fame are interwoven in the novel. Pick two members of the Riva family. What does family mean to them? Fame?

Compare how male and female celebrities are treated in the world of the novel. What makes fame hard for women? For men?

Why does Reid include the lives of other partygoers in her narration? Pick two or three and discuss how they contribute to the main themes of the book.

How and why does Mick rationalize his decision to leave his children alone again as his “redemption”? In what ways he is right? Wrong?

How are June and Nina’s stories similar? How are they different?

What function do the flashbacks focusing on June and Mick play in Reid’s storytelling? How do they inflect the events of the novel’s present?

How does imagery of fire and water work in the novel? What does each symbolize and how are characters associated with these opposing forces?