Riley Thorn and the Dead Guy Next Door

“Here, in the space between sleep and work, she was alone. Blissfully, quietly alone. No intrusive thoughts from strangers to acknowledge. No dead grandmothers to appease. Here, under the covers, everything was normal.”

Riley Thorn’s immobility in this scene introduces the novel’s theme of Developing Self-Acceptance Via Personal Challenges. Since her divorce from Griffin Gentry, Riley has lived alone in the Front Street house and has tried to maintain normalcy. However, the only comfort she finds in this stagnant life is lying in bed with the covers pulled over her. She’s trying to convince herself that she’s okay, but she doesn’t feel grounded in herself or engaged in her life. She has yet to face life’s challenges so that she can accept who she really is.

“Listen, girl. You need to accept the fact that your attempt at boring and normal failed. Stop clinging to the hope that one day you’ll wake up and be someone else. You need to embrace who you are and get back out there. You are stagnant. Stir things up. Slap on some concealer, bust out something that shows cleavage, and do something.”

Jasmine Patel fulfills the quintessential best friend character trope. She’s Riley’s closest confidante and therefore feels comfortable being direct with her. Here, Jasmine urges Riley to stop pretending she’s something she isn’t, encouraging her to “embrace who she is” instead of remaining isolated and stagnant. Jasmine frames change as a necessity for her friend. Her words of tough love and the strength of her character contribute to Riley’s finally committing to a personal growth journey.