READERS GUIDE

Reader’s Guide
Christa Comes Out of Her Shell by Abbi Waxman
Discussion Questions:


1.   Christa has retreated—literally—to an island in the middle of nowhere to focus on her work. She also avoids her family and her past. What lengths have you gone to in order to avoid difficult things?

2.   When Christa returns to Los Angeles, she is greeted by Nate, a man whom she had a crush on as a teenager. As a grown woman, she finds herself still deeply attracted to him. How have your romantic tastes and approaches changed as you’ve aged, and what lessons have you learned that changed the way you look at past relationships?

3.   Christa has had rocky relationships with her sisters and mother in the past, although she loves them. When she returns to Los Angeles, she finds them quite changed, as a result of therapy (and simply getting older and wiser). She struggles to reconcile the new people they have become with the person she still is. In what ways has therapy (or the lack of it) changed the people you know?

4.   Christa was exploited by the media as a teenager and is wary and somewhat shamefaced as a result. What do you think is the worst impact of this kind of public shaming on a person? Is Christa’s response reasonable?

5.   When Jasper Liddle returns, he is greeted in a variety of ways. Discuss the differences in the ways the three sisters responded, and compare their reactions with the way the “public” responds.

6.   Denny’s grief for her “late” husband is complicated, as most grief is. They were about to separate when he disappeared, and a long time has passed. His return brings up difficult feelings for her. Talk about the changing nature of grief, the way time alters your perception of a relationship, and how you might handle the sudden reappearance of someone you considered long gone.

7.   Jasper made a challenging choice in order to be with the woman he loved. Discuss the morality of his decision.

8.   The connection between past and present is a consistent theme in the novel, particularly in terms of relationships. How does the history of a relationship affect its current and future nature? Is it possible to “start over” in a relationship, or is the past always going to be part of it?

9.   We often feel we “know” a celebrity because we read a lot about them in the media. Think about how your own life could be reduced to a series of headlines. How would that feel, and would you struggle to let go of controlling “the story”?

10. Christa cares a great deal about her work and has sacrificed a personal life in order to pursue it. Is it possible to achieve a balance between work and play, and what are the pros and cons of following a career that demands a lot of your time?