Pictures of You

Drew is the second major protagonist, the second romantic lead, and the second of two first-person narrators in a point of view that alternates between him and Evie. When the present-day storyline begins, Drew is almost 30, a successful photographer who has won major awards and is considering a job offer in New York City. He is a handsome man, with dark brown hair and a fit, athletic body that Evie compares to a Calvin Klein model. When she still doesn’t remember who he is, Evie thinks, “[h]e looks like one of those humorless undercover cops in a gritty British crime show, all broody hotness, three-day stubble, and dark, troubled eyes” (29).

Drew, whose full name is Andrew, was raised by a single mother, Annie Kennedy, a nurse who became ill with cancer and has struggled with her health for years. Drew feels devoted to his mother and responsible for her; he feels guilty that he cannot do more to help her and fears what will happen when he loses her. Drew is 17 when he learns that his father is Anderson Roche, a well-known anesthesiologist who is also Oliver’s father. Drew is devastated for his mother when he learns how Anderson pursued, assaulted, and then rejected her, but used the financial means of paying for Drew’s schooling to manipulate Annie and keep her from pursuing other relationships. When Drew’s mother dies, he is shocked and hurt, but when he realizes—with Evie’s help—that Anderson played a part in her death, he is furious and wants justice.

Losing his mother, along with Evie, left Drew with a sense of abandonment. He protects himself by not sharing information about his mother at school, and he protects Evie by not telling her that his mother fell ill and that this is why he couldn’t attend the formal with her. His attachment to Evie, his delight in her curiosity and compassion and her joy for life, are reasons he isn’t entirely able to put her out of his mind. Evie is the person he calls when his mother dies, and he goes to her when he learns she’s in the hospital after the car wreck, showing that he continues to care for her.

Drew’s capacity for love and devotion are key parts of his character, as is his sense of humor and compassion. While he feels no love for Oliver or Anderson, Drew doesn’t hesitate to help Harriet and steps in to help Evie when she is at her most vulnerable. He is a nurturing person, a loyal and honest friend, and a dependable ally. His steadiness and acceptance give Evie a sense of safety where she feels she can be herself. It’s that sense of safety he provides—and the magical reconnection they both feel at sharing the bioluminescence again—that let Evie fully return to herself. In return, Drew is at last able to let his guard down with her: He has back the Evie he fell in love with, and this time there’s no Oliver to pull her away.

Oliver plays the role of antagonist throughout the novel, even when he is Evie’s boyfriend and eventual husband. A contrast and foil to the sensitive Drew, Oliver is the aggressively self-confident golden boy. He has blonde hair, strong cheekbones, intense blue eyes, and what Evie calls a movie-star jaw; she sees him possessing “that boy band perfection I secretly idolized” (17). His good looks are remarkable enough that Evie can never quite understand why Oliver is attracted to her.

Oliver is the son of Anderson and Gwendolyn Roche, and as their only child, he grew up the sole focus of their attention. His parents have always pushed Oliver to succeed and be superior to everyone around him. His father—who possesses many of the same controlling tendencies found in Oliver—has pressed Oliver to compete with and beat Drew, and this provides one explanation for why Oliver pursues Evie. He seems in photographs to completely adore her, to the point of obsession, but Evie wonders if to some extent Oliver’s fixation on her has to do with beating Drew.

Oliver is ambitious for attention, love, and praise. Drew notes that Oliver will discover what a girl likes and then perform an interest in those things in order to gain her attention and approval. He does this with Evie in affecting chivalric manners, not just to show others that he is an attentive boyfriend and husband but also to be everything she could want. Oliver is spoiled and narcissistic, and he becomes jealous of Evie’s attachment to other people, even her friends, but especially Drew. While he demands devotion, Oliver is not kind. He has a one-night stand with Chloe but no other contact with her until Chloe, in desperation, reaches out because Harriet needs help. Once Evie brings the child into their lives, acting as a stepparent, Oliver is jealous of the attention Harriet gets during her treatments and after.

Oliver needs complete adoration to feed his sense of self-worth, and if he feels he doesn’t have it, he becomes desperate. When he threatens to jump off the cliff, Evie thinks he’s bluffing, but driving recklessly when Evie finally asks for a divorce is an outright attempt to destroy them both so no one else can have her. Oliver’s arc is a tragic one, and while his father’s influence might account for some of Oliver’s traits, he never really does get the help he promises Evie he’ll get.