All That Life Can Afford presents a modern retelling of Jane Austen’s novel Pride and Prejudice. While Anna makes allusions to several of Austen’s titles throughout the narrative, her story most closely resembles that of Elizabeth Bennet. Like Elizabeth, Anna is from a lower-class family and is familiar with financial hardship. Because of her family’s economic insecurity, Anna feels compelled to remake her life by attaching herself to members of the wealthy, elite upper class. Throughout the novel, Anna’s relationship with Callum follows a similar arc to Elizabeth Bennet’s relationship with Mr. Darcy. While occasionally charming and attentive, Callum is often cold, distant, and removed when Anna first meets him. She’s intrigued by him but also feels constant disgust for his arrogant and aloof posture toward her. In contrast, Theo’s character exhibits Wickham-esque tendencies: He’s charming and uses his charm to deceive Anna about his true character. In reality, he proves to be dishonest. By the novel’s end, Anna discovers the truth about both men. Like Darcy, Callum ultimately comes to Anna’s defense, resolves her financial difficulties, and clears her reputation—all in secret and without expectation—proving himself to be loyal and good, and Anna’s true romantic match.

Like Pride and Prejudice, All That Life Can Afford is deeply interested in interrogating class injustices and gender inequality. Anna finds it difficult to make a life for herself in London without money or an established family name. Further, because she is a woman, she’s still expected to marry well to prove her self-worth and social standing. Everett uses Anna’s social and economic challenges to suggest the pervasive nature of many of the same struggles Austen’s characters faced in a modern context.