Book club discussions

Fifteen readers’ questions

Fifteen questions for readers of Everything About You

Use the questions below for your book club discussion of the novel.

    1. “Decisions are dead” says Thalis. If a virtual assistant knew everything about you and was much more intelligent, would you trust it to make decisions for you?
    2. What did you think of the relationship between Freya and Ruby? How equal was it?
    3. “The age of narcissism,” is something Freya seems to observe. Are we about to enter this era?
    4. Discuss the two-way relationship between parents and children in this novel – who looks after whom?
    5. Who are the victims of the ‘smartworld’? Is Julian a victim? Who benefits the most from the technology available?
    6. Did you anticipate how the book would end? What did you think would become of Ruby?
    7. Can you judge this book by its cover?
    8. The book is set in the near future – what seeds are there in our present-day society that could germinate into the sort of world portrayed in Everything About You, in terms of dating and relationships, politics and society, money and shopping?
    9. Is Everything About You a science-fiction book?
    10. “You’ve got to get over these hang-ups,” Ruby tells Freya. Is Freya stuck in childhood?
    11. “Let’s make tracks,” says Ruby. Discuss the theme of making tracks and following/being followed in the novel.
    12. If machines are getting smarter, is there a danger that humans will get stupider.
    13. Does the internet know too much about us?
    14. “It’s not so easy to hide now, even in the dark,” says Freya’s mum. Why is this, and what implications does it have for personal freedom?
    15. With the Smartface fulfilling her every need, Freya feels that reality no longer offers any resistance to her desires. How will it affect us when technology offers us ways of living that improve on reality?