Perfect Strangers

These first chapters have a light tone that establishes the novel’s nods toward the comedic and romantic genres while hinting at Olivia’s dramatic past. The dialogue between Olivia and Kelly, and Olivia and James, keeps the atmosphere light and flirty. Kelly and Olivia joke about “toe sex” and other nonstandard sexual acts, and their tone suggests that such sexual acts are beyond their experience. In combination with Olivia’s voyeurism of Gigi and Gaspard, these opening moments develop Olivia’s character as not particularly sexually adventurous, setting up her character’s journey to partly be about sexual exploration. 

However, the narrative also makes clear that although sex occupies much of the spotlight, it’s not the only element of Olivia and James’s romance. James showcases his sensitive character when he comforts Olivia in the bathroom and reveals his intellect by quoting Ernest Hemingway. The introduction of the Hemingway motif allows for discussion of gender stereotypes and representation. Yet, as with the novel’s frank approach toward sex, the characters’ discussion of Hemingway also touches on more serious topics as, aside from portraying stereotypical masculinity, Hemingway’s works often address traumatic subjects like death. The introduction of the topic leads Olivia to hint at her traumatic past when she mentions the “collapse” of her marriage and her “daughter’s small white casket” (66). The fraught details foreshadow Olivia’s struggles and reinforce the sadness that James sees in her eyes.

With this balance of serious topics and a playful tone, the narrative both hews to and challenges the tropes of the romance genre. Stereotypically, James is a paragon of positive masculinity, and Olivia is smart and beautiful, but the characters have nuances and layers that subvert their stock character types. James’s art and interest in literature give depth to his sex-symbol looks, while Olivia’s humor and opaque past distinguish her from other women who inevitably find romance in Paris. At the same time, the narrative abides by some classic stock romantic tropes, with two characters, seemingly opposites, brought together by “fate,” a familiar genre trajectory.

The theme of Exploring the Intersection of Feminism and Sexual Desire is established in these chapters through Olivia’s initial understanding of herself and sex’s place in her life. She claims, “My libido died along with everything else that mattered” (36), but Gigi and Gaspard’s sexual noises push her to masturbate while thinking of James. Olivia explains, “I bite my lip and squeeze my eyes shut like a guilty child caught with her hand in the cookie jar” (37). Surrounded by sex, Olivia is forced to admit that sex still retains a place in her life and identity, and her willingness to accept this shift reveals that she’s still vulnerable and attentive to her feelings. She feels like she’s transgressing—stealing a “cookie”—because sex upends her boundaries. James invades her mind, while Gigi and Gaspard fill her ears. The sexual atmosphere overwhelms her, and she doesn’t fight it. She takes the “cookie” and embraces the tumult of sex.

The theme of The Pleasure of Mystery centers on Olivia and James’s first interactions, which establish how they will move forward with their relationship. They know little about one another, and the lack of information compels them toward each other. Secrets and ignorance aren’t negative—they are part of the attraction. The mystery allows Olivia and James to create delectable fantasies for each other. James turns Olivia into an enchanting but sad woman, while Olivia transforms James into her “rugged blue-eyed stallion” (37). The absence of knowledge produces symbiotic fetishization, and both characters get pleasure from each other’s single-minded obsessiveness.

Shaping Reality Through Storytelling also becomes a focus of the narrative in these chapters. Geissinger hints at this thematic development early on in the story, when Kelly tells Olivia, “You’re a fiction writer. You make things up for a living. And you exaggerate more than anyone else I know” (90). At the moment, Kelly’s comment is a casual side note, but it actually foreshadows the revelations about the blurry boundaries between fiction and reality that are central to the novel’s conceit. By seeding these hints into the opening chapters, Geissinger begins the thematic thread that is preoccupied with storytelling, bringing it forward amid the opening action of the story.