Hideaway

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes descriptions of sexual violence, rape, mental illness, child abuse and child sexual abuse, suicidal ideation, self-harm, animal cruelty, addiction, sexual content, cursing, death, physical abuse, and emotional abuse.

“Something about her voice was fragile. Ike she was a vase teetering on the edge of a coffee table. I stood frozen for a minute, debating whether or not to let my curiosity pull her ass out of that room or indulge her.”

The simile comparing the fragility of Banks’s voice to “a vase teetering on the edge of a coffee table” emphasizes Kai’s (misguided) perception of her vulnerability when he first meets her. His hesitation also illustrates a key moment in which his curiosity conflicts with his desire to protect her, which in turn conflicts with his need to control her. Kai’s unspoken inner turmoil highlights The Psychological Impact of Toxic Power Dynamics that permeate his relationships, setting stage for the pair’s problematic interactions throughout the novel.

“My friends were simply mine. That was it. They were separate from what happened at home, in class, or even in my head sometimes. That’s what I liked about them. When we were together, we were a planet.”

The metaphor equating friends with a planet—a world all their own—emphasizes the sense of mutual community that also serves to isolate them from the rest of the world. Yet the sentiment also contains positive connotations of strength and solidarity. Kai sees his friends as a self-contained entity that remains unaffected by external pressures and represents a space of comfort and belonging. His idealistic view reinforces the novel’s focus on the dynamics involved in Making Sacrifices for Love and Friendship.