Printable Book Club Questions for Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult

First, let’s talk about when we first meet Diana. Why did she feel it was necessary to have such a detailed plan for her life?
While this is a fiction story, it takes place during our very real March 2020 when everything changes. Do you remember what you were doing when the world shut down due to covid-19? How did you feel reading about the early days of the pandemic in this story?
Finn is needed at the hospital but he tells Diana to go ahead and enjoy the Galápagos Islands. At the time, we believe that Diana does actually go there. If you were in Diana’s shoes, would you have gone or would you have stayed home?
While Finn is seeing all kinds of horrors, Diana is exploring Isabela Island and developing a relationship with both a teenager named Beatriz and her father Gabriel. Before we get into the big twists, what was your impression of the romance between Diana and Gabriel?
And suddenly everything changes in this story and we learn that Diana has covid and has been on a ventilator this entire time. The story goes from a love triangle romance to a very realistic and scary situation. What were your initial thoughts as you read this unfold? Looking back, did you catch any hints that Diana’s trip was not what it seemed?
Diana eventually learns that people on ventilators can experience lucid dreams that feel so real. But like Diana, many are still convinced it truly happened and in a sense they’re almost living a double life. Why do you think the mind goes to these unconscious but vivid experiences?
What was the deeper meaning behind Diana’s ‘trip’ to the Galápagos—was it a way of telling herself to change the direction of her life?
OK, so now let’s get back to the relationships in the story. Why weren’t Finn and Diana a fit in the end?
A significant part of the story is Diana’s tense relationship with her absent mother. Diana felt abandoned by her mother—how did this impact how she approached both her relationships and career?
Let’s talk about the closure she got with her mother before she passed away.
Why was art therapy the right avenue for Diana in the end?
In the epilogue, Diana finally goes to Isabela Island and it’s different in many ways from what she dreamed. Why was it important for her to visit there?
The story ends in a somewhat similar way to how it started where Diana falls in a tortoise breeding ground and is rescued. Is Gabriel the one to catch her at the end? If he does exist, what does this mean about Diana’s lucid dream? Or do you believe is it someone else completely?
Netflix will adapt the novel into a feature film. What elements from the novel do you hope are included? Who should they cast for the main characters?
In the author’s note, Jodi talks about some of the main lessons learned from the pandemic. What have you personally learned? Did it cause you to make any life changes?