How does Kit’s first-person narration affect reader impressions of her? Is she a reliable narrator? Why or why not?

Consider class in the novel. How does the Hope family view mansion staff? How do town authority figures treat their underlings? How do those lower on the socioeconomic ladder view the powerful and the wealthy? How are these attitudes different and similar in the novel’s two timeframes of 1929 and 1983?

How does time affect the perception of townspeople about the infamous murders that took place nearby? What does the novel say about press interest in true crime and the public consumption of violence as entertainment?