Literary fiction · Book club
Till We Have Faces book club questions
Here are 12 book club questions for Till We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis, ordered to open easily and end somewhere worth arguing about. Copy them, print them, or bring them up one at a time.
The 12 questions
- 1.
Orual's complaint against the gods is presented at length and in detail. Is it a good argument? Where does it fail, and when did you first notice the failure?
- 2.
Lewis was a Christian apologist writing a pagan myth. Does the novel work as a story independent of its theological argument, or does it require belief to fully function?
- 3.
Orual loved Psyche genuinely and also smothered her. Can those both be true? Does the novel resolve the tension, or leave it as a genuine moral complexity?
- 4.
The Fox is a Stoic philosopher whose rationalism Orual relies on throughout her life. How does the book judge him — fairly or harshly?
- 5.
Psyche is a somewhat opaque character compared to Orual — more symbolic than psychological. Is that appropriate for the story, or a weakness?
- 6.
Part Two is brief and tonally different from Part One. Did the shift work for you, or did it feel like Lewis interrupting his own novel to deliver the answer?
- 7.
The gods' silence is the book's central problem. Lewis doesn't argue that the silence is pedagogically useful — he shows it. Is that a more honest approach than direct argument?
- 8.
Orual builds a career, rules a kingdom, and earns the respect of enemies and allies — and is also a psychological mess throughout. Does worldly success and inner disorder feel true to life?
- 9.
The book ends with Orual accepting the judgment on herself. Is that acceptance tragic, liberating, or some combination that doesn't have a clean name?
- 10.
Lewis said this was the book he was most satisfied with. Why do you think he felt that way, given that his more popular books are more accessible?
- 11.
How does this version of the Cupid and Psyche myth compare to the original? What does Lewis change, and what do those changes reveal about his argument?
- 12.
The novel asks whether you can love something without consuming it. Do you think it answers the question, and what is the answer?
How to run the discussion
- Pick six to eight, not all of them. An hour of real discussion covers fewer questions than anyone expects, and racing the list is what makes a book club feel like homework.
- Open with what people noticed, not what they concluded. Asking for a verdict first hardens opinions before anyone has heard each other.
- Let the disagreement run. The questions below that split a room are the ones worth the time; the ones everyone answers the same way can be skipped.
- Ask the quiet person a specific question. A direct, narrow question is far easier to answer than an open invitation to contribute.
Themes worth steering toward
If the conversation stalls, these are the threads that usually restart it.
Common questions
What are good book club questions for Till We Have Faces?
Here are 12 book club questions for Till We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis, ordered to open easily and end somewhere worth arguing about. The strongest openers ask what each reader noticed rather than what they concluded, and the discussion usually turns on jealousy and love, self-knowledge and self-deception, the silence of the gods.
How long should a book club discussion of Till We Have Faces last?
Most groups run 60 to 90 minutes of actual discussion. That is roughly six to eight questions, not all of them, so pick the ones that suit your group rather than working down the list in order.
What are the main themes in Till We Have Faces?
Jealousy and love, Self-knowledge and self-deception, The silence of the gods, Grief and possessiveness, Myth and truth. Those are the threads most likely to divide a room, which makes them the useful places to steer a discussion that has gone quiet.
Picking the next one? See books like Till We Have Faces or questions for other book club picks.
