I Have Some Questions for You

Content Warning: This section of the guide features depictions of suicide, self-harm, disordered eating, and sexual assault.

I Have Some Questions for You acknowledges the growing potential of podcasts and other digital media to expose the acts of abusers and solve criminal cases while simultaneously exploring the positive and negative effects that such independent publications may have upon real-life events. Amateurs presenting theories on murders in podcasts can both uncover and potentially obscure the truth, and Rebecca Makkai’s novel demonstrates both possibilities as the intricacies of the plot unfold. In a further example of this approach, the character Dane Rubra’s conspiracy-oriented YouTube videos, while not precisely a podcast, serve similar narrative purposes within the story by creating entertaining alternative interpretations of Thalia’s murder, often in service of truth. Despite these good intentions, Rubra’s search to right past wrongs has unintended consequences. His incendiary content impugns the reputation of Puja Sharma, who dies by suicide two years after Thalia’s murder. While Rubra’s presence proves useful to the novel’s progression, his dubious contributions to justice, like those of Bodie and the other podcasters mentioned in the novel, must be balanced by the pain they inadvertently cause.

Makkai’s tale also highlights the ethical quandaries of sensationalism, for as Beth and other characters in the novel are quick to point out, Bodie’s well-intentioned investigation ultimately results in a measure of personal gain, earning her some condemnation for appearing to leverage Thalia’s death in a “pathetic attention grab” (345).