Never Never

In this closing section, the novel offers an explanation for the amnesia loops, which Charlie and Silas break by reaffirming their love—this time, understanding that being soul mates requires attention and understanding. Silas suspects “what if when we broke up as screwed with destiny […] what if we are supposed to be together and messing with that caused some kind of rift? (320). He reasons that if soul mates exist, they themselves cannot, should not, fall apart. He points out that they have history and that their fathers’ fallout is what destroyed their connection, not anything specific to their own relationship. But now, Charlie and Silas recognize the challenge, The Responsibility of Being in Love. Both have completed perilous journeys into adulthood, transitioning away from their old identities—Charlie as a “Daddy’s Girl,” Silas as his father’s football star—and ready to pursue their own desires and work toward being honest soul mates.

The playful game of “Silas Says” embodies the essential nature of love, how powerful emotions can form their own world. As Charlie and Silas perform more outlandish stunts along Bourbon Street, they see each other as daring and fun, offering a joint escape. The closing section uses their dancing in the streets in the past and present to illustrate the rediscovery of their love. The past street performer’s advice—“All there is left to do now is dance” (324)—illustrates the importance of self-love as much as romantic love. Charlie and Silas must deny others’ intrusion on their feelings, to embrace spontaneity when alone and together. When Charlie reads a quote from Tiffanie DeBartolo’s How to Kill a Rock Star—“Fate is the magnetic pull of our souls toward the people, places, and things where we belong” (333)—it speaks to her and Silas’s situation, the fact that they rediscovered each other despite the odds. However, it is not enough to know this—the couple must act on their history and connection. In the face of yet another deadline, they fall in love again and resolve to never forget what they learned during the previous amnesia loops.

This resolution emboldens Charlie and Silas as the deadline approaches. When the amnesia loops are finally broken, the universe returned to how it was, Charlie and Silas make a vow—and this vow carries over to their later marriage. The Epilogue depicts the couple 20 years later, with a daughter of their own—a daughter in love. The couple have continued their work as soul mates, and as Silas pulls up to their house, Charlie still feels “butterflies in her stomach. Those butterflies never went away. From what I’ve heard, after this many years that’s a rare thing” (356). As Charlie and Silas watch their daughter, Jessa, fight with her boyfriend, Harry, they understand this younger couple must learn what they themselves did.