Daisy Haites

“When I was a kid, if there was something happening at the house that no one wanted me to see or hear, Julian would bring me into the laundry room. He’d put on our old washing machine, even if it was empty. Sometimes he’d put coins in there so it made a louder sound.”

Daisy’s relationship with laundry, the laundry room, and her washing machine conveys her longing for normalcy. She sees this domestic setting and task as a symbolic act, maintaining order, safety, and calm in her life. This passage reveals that her attachment to the laundry room stems from her childhood, when it served as a place that protected her from fear and danger. She derives the same comfort from it as an adult.

“I nearly feel bad for a second because it’s all over her face how hurt she is—imagining what the person she loves is doing with someone else, it fucks you up. But you know what? Join the fucking club, Parks.”

Christian’s internal monologue while watching Magnolia Parks reiterates the complexities of navigating love and betrayal. Christian and Magnolia haven’t been together in some time, but Christian still has feelings for her. His sustained love makes him “feel bad for a second” when he witnesses Magnolia’s pain. At the same time, Christian feels betrayed by Magnolia because she is causing him pain, too. This love triangle between Christian, Magnolia, and Magnolia’s boyfriend BJ acts as one of the novel’s primary interpersonal conflicts.

“My eyes danced across the road in front of me, checking for dangers that couldn’t possibly exist in a world where Christian Hemmes was teaching me to drive a car alone in the middle-of-nowhere-England, and no wonder Miguel always drives, no wonder he’s never offered to teach me—that greedy bastard, saving all the magic up for himself.”

The scene in which Christian teaches Daisy to drive reifies Daisy’s ongoing Struggle for Personal Autonomy. Driving is a quintessential representation of personal freedom. When Daisy gets behind the wheel of Christian’s car, she is taking control of her life for the first time. She also describes the feeling of driving to “magic,” implying that freedom is a fantastical, mysterious experience. This scene underscores Daisy’s desire for personal liberty and foreshadows her decision to free herself from her family legacy at the novel’s end.

“Feel bad for a second for all the shit they’ve been through, all the ways I’ve kept them apart, but then that night rattles around my head and the feeling disappears on the spot. I did the right thing. Keep her alive, that’s the gig. Happiness is irrelevant, you can’t cater to happy, ask any parent. It’s ephemeral. Keep her safe, that’s the important part.”

Hastings frames Julian’s obsession with protecting Daisy less as an act of love than a desire to assert his own power. As the crime lord of his family, Julian sees himself as a royal figure. He has no qualms about limiting Daisy’s freedom or dictating the parameters of her relationships, disregarding Daisy’s happiness as “irrelevant.” Julian’s first-person point of view provides insight into his interiority that the other characters don’t have.

“Anyway, I don’t care when she stays and she’s stayed over a few nights this week, actually. Bit weird, but I sort of didn’t want her to go. Don’t know why, I just have fun with her, I guess. Maybe I even just like it when she’s around.”

Christian’s internal monologue about his relationship with Daisy foreshadows the ways his feelings for her will deepen over the following months. By giving the reader access to Christian’s private acknowledgment that he enjoys being around Daisy, Hastings employs dramatic irony—allowing the reader to know his feelings that remain hidden from Daisy.

“I’ve got a reputation—dangerous guy, stay away, a lot of drama—I’ll kill someone if I have to, probably rather not, though. I will say if someone’s got to die, I’ll be the one to pull the trigger, though. I don’t like people doing my dirty work. It’s all dirty work. Weak to get people to do it for you. If you don’t have the stomach for it yourself, you don’t deserve a seat at the table.”

Julian’s internal monologue reveals his willingness to compromise his moral code to uphold his reputation. This passage conveys the potentially negative Influence of Family Legacy on the individual’s sense of self. For Julian, preserving his “dangerous” reputation is paramount. He will even “kill someone” to maintain respect in his world. The passage foreshadows the increasingly risky decisions Julian will make at the expense of his sister’s and friends’ safety.

“My mind is reeling—what the fuck does she need saving from? I feel sick thinking about something happening to her, and I don’t know what she means—I don’t want to know what she means, either. If he saved her, then they have one of those fucking mythic connections and I don’t want them to, so all I can do is to make light of it.”

Christian’s response to hearing about Daisy’s near-death experiences emphasizes his love for her. Christian has yet to acknowledge the depth of his feelings for Daisy, but his physical response signals his regard. He’s so desperate to ensure her safety that he “feels sick” just “thinking about something happening to her.” At the same time, his discovery that Romeo saved her life numerous times makes Christian jealous and insecure, suggesting he wants to play this role in Daisy’s life.

“And thought of you the whole time. That, of course, is part of that story I don’t offer to her. I couldn’t say that to her, could I? Because what the fuck does it even mean? I have no idea. I’m not proud of it. And it’s not a fucking compliment, is it? It’s weird either way. Either way I’m fucked up.”

Christian withholds his feelings from Daisy because he is afraid to take risks in love. The questions he asks himself in this passage affect an interrogative tone of self-doubt. Christian knows that Daisy has been on his mind, but he fears professing his feelings to her lest she reject him. Like Daisy, Christian is also navigating the complexities of love and betrayal and feels unsure how to claim his own emotional experience.

“There is a part of me that worries we’re on a track, loving each other in this stupid way, hating each other in the moments between and we’re just…what we are. This disfigured, maladjusted version of a committed couple, but the commitment isn’t necessarily by choice, it’s just an unbreakable habit that makes you feel better and worse in one fell swoop.”

Daisy’s renewed relationship with Romeo satisfies the second-chance romance trope traditional to the genre. Romeo reappears in Daisy’s life four years after he cheated on her and broke her heart. Daisy is still hurt by Romeo’s betrayal, but also wonders if this is her and Romeo’s chance to try again at “loving each other in [the] stupid way” they always have. Their second-chance affair functions as a red herring, as Daisy and Romeo don’t ultimately end up together. However, the author uses this complex relationship to reiterate the impact of past relationships on the present.

“In another life, I’m an art historian. A professor of art history or maybe a conservator of artworks, but this is where I’d be. Surrounded by beautiful things, things that inspire you and move the world forward and speak to what it means to be human, and there would be nothing bad, no one would be dying, and if they were it’d be two-dimensional.”

Fantasizing about a different future acts as an essential precursor of Daisy’s struggle for personal autonomy. Even when she feels unsure how to realize her dreams on her own terms, she’s able to imagine a new life for herself, identifying what she wants before taking active steps to free herself from her current circumstances. The passage has a melancholy tone that echoes Daisy’s state of mind.

“The flight over there’s long and I think about Daisy the whole time, how I wish I was good at this feelings shit—that I knew how to say sorry, say what I really think. I can’t say it out loud. I can’t risk it.”

Christian’s arc moves him from a need to keep all his feelings inside to a willingness to engage with and acknowledge his emotions and vulnerability. Here, he’s still insecure about “this feelings shit,” but also takes the first step to acknowledging and identifying his complex emotions. His allusions to thinking about Daisy and wishing he could apologize evoke his heartfelt intentions. At the same time, the latter two lines of the passage affect a fearful tone. Christian still worries that expressing himself will somehow compromise his character and future.

“I know me and her have a weird relationship; she’s somewhere between my sister, my kid, and my best friend. She might be all of the above, but of all the things she is to me she is absolutely and irrevocably my way home. The way I can tell right from wrong, good from bad—if Daisy likes someone, they’re worth your time; if she doesn’t, they can take a fucking hike.”

Julian’s internal monologue about Daisy conveys his appreciation for her. Hastings depicts Julian as a complex, if duplicitous character. Daisy and the Lost Boys trust and respect him, but they also live in fear that Julian will lose control and break their trust. This passage emphasizes the multifaceted nature of Julian’s relationship with Daisy, whom he sees as his “sister,” “kid,” and “best friend.” Julian doesn’t want to betray Daisy, but he also finds it difficult to navigate their “weird relationship.”

“Kisses the back of my head and I lean back into him. It’s all spectacularly unremarkable and I let myself drift off into a daydream where, for a second, I’m not who I am and he’s not who he is. There are no bodyguards, no dead parents, no dead sisters. […] I’m just a regular twenty-year-old who still goes home to do her laundry.”

The scene of Daisy and Christian kissing in the IKEA laundrette affects a peaceful narrative mood. This moment feels like “a daydream” come true for Daisy. Domesticity is a luxury she can’t often afford. The same is true of her intimate relationships. Daisy is used to seeing people in a casual or even secretive way. Kissing Christian in public in the laundry room set is a realization of her greatest dream—to create a life with someone she loves without shame or fear.

“She still doesn’t look up at me, but nods. And I don’t really think about what I do next, it sort of just happens. I take off my necklace, slip it over her head, and onto her.”

The image of Christian removing his necklace and clasping it around Daisy’s neck conveys his love for her. The necklace symbolizes both affection and devotion. The heart-shaped medallion represents their romantic bond, while the circle the chain makes represents their new commitment to each other. This scene marks a turning point in their evolving relationship.

“And while I might be little and I am a girl, he knows as well as I do that I am, to him, entirely untouchable, even though it appears I’ve just shot his brother. I feel bad for a moment, I don’t like killing people, it’s why I became a doctor, but I didn’t even think of it, I just did it. It didn’t seem fair, killing Tiller like that for nothing. That’s not what they’re here for. No one was supposed to die.”

Daisy’s decision to shoot one of her opponents in the museum gang war reveals a new side to her character. Nearly everyone in Daisy’s world regards her as fragile and in need of protection. They go out of their way to shield her from danger and violence. In this scene, Daisy lunges into the fray to defend herself and Killian Tiller. Her bold action conveys her power, fearlessness, and ferocity.

“It jolts me for a second, watching him touch her with a familiar authority, a bit like he has a right to be there. More than I do, even. I push my way through towards them in time for me to hear Romeo say to her, ‘…was for you, Daisy. Those bullets were aiming for you.’”

Christian experiences jealousy and confusion when he witnesses Romeo protecting Daisy during a shooting, signaling his growing feelings for her. Christian is thankful that nothing happened to Daisy, but he also wishes that he were the one to save her. The image of Romeo touching Daisy “with a familiar authority” reiterates his and Daisy’s history together and underscores the complexity of Christian’s role in her life.

“I hate this life. It’s all I’ve ever known and I hate it. There are perks and pluses, and there are moments of tenderness, but being loved by my brother, merely existing in his orbit has been a death sentence.”

Daisy’s internal monologue underscores her struggle for personal autonomy. Daisy loves Julian but feels furious that he has consigned her to her room ever since the recent shootings. Daisy knows Julian is worried about her, but his obsessive control over her life threatens her emotional and mental well-being. This passage foreshadows her ultimate decision to cut ties with her brother.

“So, say what you will about him. Focus on the bad things he’s done—on the bad things he will continue to do—but he’s not like everyone else, and he doesn’t abide by everyone else’s rules. Me? I will sit happily and proudly in his corner every day of my life, apologizing for his abruptness, making excuses for his misgivings, laughing at the things I shouldn’t, but mostly just being grateful for him.”

Julian’s birthday provides a moment of reprieve from the tension in Daisy’s relationship with Julian. At the party, Daisy assumes a more celebratory and forgiving stance. She sets aside her frustrations with Julian and privately declares that she’ll do anything to prove her loyalty to her brother. Here, the contradictions in her description of her feelings toward her brother capture the complexity of their dynamic. She acknowledges his crimes but still wants to “sit happily and proudly in his corner.” By the end of the novel, she will have to reexamine this devotion to save her own life.

“I wasn’t overreacting—I know his breathing, I’ve learned over the last few months, meditated on it while he’s slept. I practically have a doctorate in it. I know what it meant when he did that, and it means I am exactly what I always worried I was to him. I thought I might have been more. I’m not.”

Throughout the novel, Christian’s past with Magnolia creates tension in his relationship with Daisy. After seeing Christian’s response to Magnolia at Julian’s party, Daisy decides that Christian doesn’t love her. She uses declarative language in this passage because she’s convinced she knows Christian well enough to recognize when he’s deceiving her. In reality, Daisy is allowing her insecurity and fear to dictate her and Christian’s dynamic.

“The absence of Christian is all over me, and I realize that it hurts less when Rome touches me, so I need him to touch me more. I need Romeo to never stop touching me. I’m afraid for him to stop because I can’t feel how I feel when he stops because I am unbearably in love with Christian Hemmes in a way I didn’t even know until now that we’re done—and you best fucking believe that we are done.”

Daisy’s internal monologue during a sexual encounter with Romeo indicates her internal unrest. After Julian’s birthday party, Daisy uses Romeo to dull her heartbreak over Christian. Historically, sex has been a way for Daisy to escape her sense of feeling trapped. She knows she’s in love with Christian, but she’s too afraid to directly confront those feelings. Romeo offers a physical and emotional distraction, underscoring Daisy’s fear of confronting her own interiority.

“Does he touch her like I touch her? I love her waist, love how I can hold it in one hand. The freckle under her eye that always seems like a call to arms to kiss her, the corner of her jaw that I trace over every time we have sex. Is he doing that? Of course he is, the shape of her face fucking demands it.”

Here, Christian’s internal monologue reaffirms his love for Daisy. When he discovers that Daisy and Romeo are sleeping together again, Christian can’t help wondering how he and Romeo compare. The questions he asks himself affect a worried, doubtful tone. At the same time, his musings on Daisy’s body convey his affection for her. He is intimate with her physically, which has led to their emotional intimacy over time.

“Who gives a fuck about an arm graze? Me, apparently, because I reckon I could die happy now that I’m touching her again. This is all I want. To be near her and around her, my arm up against her, all of me up against her, and I’m starting to feel that Christmas magic because she doesn’t move her arm away—she’s just staring straight ahead.”

Christian and Daisy’s momentary reunion at church on Christmas Day grants Christian a fleeting sense of hope. He and Daisy barely touch, but this moment of contact excites Christian. He uses language like “happy,” “near,” “want,” and “magic” to convey the significance of this interaction. The Christmas holiday and the ecclesiastical setting further underscore the meaningful nature of this scene—conjuring notions of redemption, hope, good cheer, and salvation.

“My heart is racing as we round the corner to the street and it feels like I’m rounding the corner to a new part of my life—one I’ve thought I wanted for so long, but now I’m at the precipice of it, I’m not sure. Going against everyone I’ve known and loved because they’re doing something I don’t like, it seems crazy in the light of day—but it’s a bad something. It’s quite a bad something.”

Daisy’s decision to free Eamon Brown’s children compels her to betray her brother, signaling her break from her family legacy. She ultimately decides that it’s better to defy Julian than it is to betray her moral code. The image of her “rounding the corner” is also a metaphor for Daisy’s character transformation. She is taking control of her life and making decisions that align with her belief system. She is refusing to accept Julian’s crimes just because of their family legacy.