First-Time Caller

Lucie enters the novel hearing Maya’s voice behind her closed door, concerned not only that her daughter is on the phone with a man but that she is taking pains to hide it. Lucie enters in a fury, realizing, “I am officially more terrifying than the ghost in the linen closet” (14). While Lucie has cause for concern, the episode also functions symbolically, with the closed room suggesting the innermost recesses of an individual’s thoughts and feelings—things Lucie associates with danger, hinting at her fear of rejection. That entering the room results in Lucie’s discovery that Maya is concerned about her mother’s romantic life—and introduces Lucie to Aiden—in turn suggests the rewards of openness.

The transformation of the recording booth offers the clearest example of not only Lucie’s shift to vulnerability but also Aiden’s. Initially, the sound booth symbolizes Aiden’s isolation and distance from others, building on the theme of Fear and Cynicism as Obstacles to Growth. Aiden uses the space as a retreat from the world, as he recalls during his awkward first exchange with Lucie, when he calls the booth a “sanctuary […] in the form of soundproof glass” (52). In keeping with both her own insecurities and her recognition of Aiden’s boundaries, Lucie is at first reluctant to enter the space, only doing so when he holds up a sign summoning her inside for their first real conversation. However, the booth gradually shifts to a refuge for both Aiden and Lucie as the two grow closer. When they have sex for the first time, Aiden tells Lucie, “I still went back into that booth wanting you. I can’t stop” (341). By this point, the radio has become their private retreat, the world where they build their love story. It is also telling that Aiden refuses to stay in the booth when he is concerned about Lucie after her first date, signaling his shift toward broader engagement with others. Finally, when they reconcile, Lucie takes over the show, underscoring that Aiden has fully accepted her importance in his life.

The motif of food principally develops the theme of Love as a Source of Security and Basis for Transformation. As the novel opens, Aiden and Jackson have breakfast together at Patty’s café, Skullduggery. Jackson is surly, as Aiden’s hatred of mornings means the bakery is out of cruffins—a small indicator that their relationship, while friendly, is strained by Aiden’s turn toward cynicism. Later, Aiden and Jackson spar over Berger cookies, a Baltimore delicacy, and Aiden fights jealousy when Jackson shares one with Lucie. Meanwhile, Lucie has companionable dinners with her family, relishing the weekly tradition and reflecting, “[M]y loneliness feels further away” (104). The contrast between the two characters’ relationships with food—and the company that often comes with it—therefore underscores that while both characters have a support network available to them, only Lucy fully recognizes and capitalizes on this.

Food continues to facilitate connection over the rest of the novel. On her failed second date, Lucie visits a fancy restaurant and discovers that her date is not arriving. She orders soup and crackers and is touched when the young waiter pays for her drinks and meal, as he tells her that her advice on love gave him the courage to leave a bad relationship. That same night, Aiden and Lucie share drinks and fries together, discussing Aiden’s personal history and Lucie’s desire to pursue more freedom and impulsivity when she is not parenting. The next day, Aiden stays for breakfast with Lucie, Maya, and Grayson. Lucie watches Aiden hand Maya toast without her asking and feels “something pluck[], once, directly beneath [her] rib cage” (220), implying that Aiden’s ability to fit in with her family, especially her daughter, contributes to her growing love for him. Aiden himself later uses food to reconcile with Jackson, promising him a cruffin from Skullduggery in exchange for help bringing Lucie back to the station. In the Epilogue, Lucie, Aiden, and Maya have breakfast at the café together, establishing that Aiden now recognizes its importance in Lucie’s life as well as his own.