Five Feet Apart

Compare the lung drawings created by Abby and Will. How are the drawings similar, and how are they different? What purpose does the juxtaposition of the drawings serve?

Discuss the author’s choice to alternate the point of view in each chapter. What effect does this choice have on your reading of the novel? What is the significance of incorporating both voices equally throughout the novel? What would change if the novel was written from the third-person point of view?

Extend the last chapter of the novel. What happens next? Defend your choices with specific evidence from the text.

Some critics of the novel argue that Five Feet Apart romanticizes the danger that real-life cystic fibrosis patients live with every day. Do you agree or disagree with this argument? Explain your reasoning.

How does the author’s choice to highlight the struggles of cystic fibrosis patients affect the novel’s key themes? Would the novel work as well if the author had chosen to highlight another chronic illness?

As a young adult novel, Five Feet Apart attracts some criticism that it is too formulaic. Research the common formula of romantic young adult novels. Provide an example of when the author breaks from that formula, explaining how and why.

Although depicting young adults, the novel does not feature parents very prominently. Discuss the significance of this choice. How does this choice further the novel’s central themes?

Do you find the novel realistic and believable? Defend your point with specific textual examples. Discuss whether it is important for the novel to be realistic and believable.