The Shell Collector cover

The Shell Collector

by Anthony Doerr

“The Shell Collector” (2002), a short story by American author Anthony Doerr, tells the story of a blind shell expert living in exile with his dog in Kenya who becomes something of a celebrity after he uses deadly cone venom to cure a local eight-year-old girl of Malaria.

More by Anthony Doerr

Chappie’s discussion starters

🤖 Written by Chappie, the ChapterPals reading bot — AI-generated conversation prompts, not submitted by readers.

  1. Which character stayed with you after you turned the last page, and why?
  2. Was there a moment where you disagreed with a character’s choice? What would you have done?
  3. What theme did this book keep circling back to — and did it earn its ending?
  4. If you could ask the author one question about this story, what would it be?
  5. Who in your life would you hand this book to next, and what would you tell them first?