Hello and Welcome.
Book clubs provide so much more than just a reading experience. There is the meeting up, either virtually or in person, the friendships that develop, the discovery of novels that ordinarily might not have been read, and the enjoyment of talking about those that have been chosen.
Below are a selection of questions to kickstart a discussion in your own group about Pearl, Connor and Nate, and the story that brings them together in Reasons to Go Outside.
Questions
QUESTION ONE:
There are estimated to be as many as one-and-a-half million people in the UK living with agoraphobia. Does this surprise you?
QUESTION TWO:
Reasons To Go Outside is part of a genre of books called Up Lit. What emotions came to the fore while you were reading? What other novels have made you feel this way? What part do books play in affecting how we think and feel and do you have any examples of this?
QUESTION THREE:
Nate and Pearl relied on memories in the novel and their story spans over four decades. Did reading Reasons To Go Outside spark any important memories of your own?
QUESTION FOUR:
Of all the characters that you’ve met throughout the book, who did you feel a connection with/relate to the most and why?
QUESTION FIVE:
What would you like to see happen to Pearl, Nate, and Connor in their future?
QUESTION SIX:
How important was setting in Reasons To Go Outside? Do you think the story would have worked if it was set in inner city London, for example?
QUESTION SEVEN:
Did Reasons To Go Outside make you think of someone you might know, now or in the past, who could be experiencing agoraphobia?
QUESTION EIGHT:
Pearl and Nate’s love blossomed at a time before dating websites became commonplace. Is the way we meet and fall in love changed for the better or worse?. Would you prefer to meet someone by random chance rather than via the internet for example? Are there advantages and disadvantages of both ways?
QUESTION NINE:
Pearl and Nate relied on letters to communicate. With emails, messaging, and more modern forms of communication, do you think personal letter writing, complete with an envelope and postage stamp, will disappear? And is this a loss in your opinion?
QUESTION TEN:
If you could ask the author one question what would it be?
(I’d love to hear them!)
