1. What is this significance of the novel’s allusions to THE GREAT GATSBY? In what way does NO ONE IS COMING TO SAVE US both complement and contrast with Fitzgerald’s classic?

2. The novel is written from a number of perspectives. How does that multi-perspective approach help to shape the reading experience?

3. JJ is the lynchpin of the story, but the novel is mostly comprised of female voices. What is the effect of having the central cast made up of mostly women?

4. The mother/daughter relationship between Sylvia and Ava is a fascinating portrayal of intergenerational tension. How is their dynamic presented on the page, and what are the conflicts that threaten their relationship?

5. At the start of the novel, Ava and her husband Henry have been draining their savings trying to conceive for years, and Henry is dealing with cutbacks in his hours at the furniture factory where he works. How do their economic anxieties bleed into their marriage?

6. Sylvia talks to Marcus, a prisoner, after his friends and family have given up on him. Do you think Sylvia is right to have hope for him? Do you think he has a chance at turning his life around?

7. JJ builds an empty dream house, while Sylvia reminisces about the people who once filled her little house. What do houses mean to these characters? What is the difference between a house and a home?