“Then I’m right in front of him. Our gazes tangle, and the air charges around us. If my hair wasn’t teased tonight into natural curls, tendrils would probably lift and stand on end, infused with static electricity. That’s how powerful of a shock it is to my system being so suddenly close to him.”

Ryan captures the immediate chemistry between Verity and Ryan by using electric imagery, such as descriptions of meeting Monk as “a shock to [her] system” and how “the air charges” as they make eye contact. Verity’s remark that her hair would “lift and stand on end” if it wasn’t curled is an example of hyperbole that reinforces the spark between the main characters.

“A line of electricity ran between us when our eyes met. It sounds like something from a cheesy rom-com, but the rest of the room faded into the background and for a few seconds all I saw was her. [….] ‘This is ridiculous,” I mutter, turning to leave and head back to my car parked on the street. “And pointless.’”

The metaphorical “line of electricity” between Monk and Verity reveals that he also feels an instant connection with her. However, his internal monologue subverts romantic tropes by describing his experience of love at first sight as “something from a cheesy rom-com” and by showing that Monk resents his feelings because he thinks that Verity is uninterested in him.

“‘Shit.’ I curl my hands into fists and shove them into my pockets. All I seem to have for my father are curses these days. He ruined our lives and kept going, a bulldozer rolling over dandelions without a second thought.”

The metaphor comparing Monk’s father to “a bulldozer rolling over dandelions without a second thought” captures Monk’s rage at the destructive impact his father’s decisions have had on their family’s lives. This passage foreshadows the revelation that his father cheated on his mother, an experience that traumatizes Monk and has a significant impact on his ability to trust Verity.

“How do I explain that it isn’t about how long we’ve known each other, but that with her I feel truly known. I hadn’t considered the possibility that I’ve waded into the deep end by myself, that maybe she doesn’t feel the same. I don’t address the issue of her being more important than my music already.”

The author uses the metaphorical language that Monk has “waded into the deep end” to express the loneliness and fear Monk feels as he worries that Verity doesn’t love him back or envision a future with him. Monk’s inward acknowledgment that Verity is “more important than [his] music already” underscores the depths of his feelings for her while showing how he attempts to shield his emotions by leaving them unspoken at this point in the novel, signaling that he’s still Learning to Trust after Trauma.

“It still feels like something is buzzing under my skin; like rocket fuel is burning through my veins, but that look on Monk’s face—a dulling of his eyes, disillusionment, pain—is the only thing that has slowed me down. There is a part of me that knows this is urgent, that I should be racing to beg his forgiveness. That I could lose him for good, but I can’t remember why that is important when the world is still so alive and waiting for me.”

Ryan uses figurative language, such as the simile “like rocket fuel is burning through [her] veins,” and diction, such as Verity’s inability to address the “urgent” situation with Monk, to convey Verity’s perspective as she experiences her first manic episode. The passage’s tone mingles exuberance and vague concern, which allows the reader to experience Verity’s confusion regarding her own behavior before she’s diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

“‘Put it out,’ I sob, rocking back and forth. ‘Put it out. You have to put it out. It’s burning.’”

The repetition in Verity’s dialogue emphasize her desperation during her first experience of mania with psychosis. Her intense fear of the Flame statue is a key instance of fire as a motif of the theme of trauma.

“If she’s right, if I have bipolar, then as shattered as my heart is now, leaving Wright Bellamy was the kindest thing I could have done. I’ve seen how a love like this—tethered to something wild and dark—decimates. I saw it in the charred rubble of our house and in my parents’ gravestones planted in the earth, set together like two lovers.” (139).

Ryan employs diction through precise adjectives like “shattered,” “wild and dark” and strong verbs like “decimates” to create a tragic mood. The simile comparing her “parents’ gravestones” to “two lovers” foreshadows the revelation that her father accidentally killed her mother and then took his own life during a mental health crisis. This excerpt helps to explain why she decides that she shouldn’t be with Monk after learning she has bipolar disorder.

“Flames lick along the roof of the house, consuming the weathered wood. The windows are lit red like demon’s eyes and the front door gapes open, the mouth to hell.”

The passage uses infernal imagery to describe the burning house, such as the simile likening the red-lit windows to “demon’s eyes” and the metaphor comparing the gaping front door to “the mouth to hell.” These frightening images emphasize Verity’s core trauma and cement fire’s role as a motif of trauma.

“You don’t put a saddle on this condition. You ride bareback with no reins, holding on for dear life to anything you can grab,’ I say. ‘What I can tell you is that my situation with Harry was years ago, when I was much earlier in my journey. I’ve figured out my meds and now have better ways to cope.’”

The metaphor comparing living with bipolar disorder to riding a horse “bareback with no reins” helps both Canon and the reader understand Verity’s experience. The figurative language expresses that unpredictability is one of the inherent challenges of her diagnosis while also establishing her management of her condition as a concrete skill that she’s developed.

“The Monk I knew was intense with undercurrents you could get caught in, drown in. The ease with which he navigates fame feels deliberate to me; a piece of glass he’s placed between his most authentic self and the rest of the world.”

Verity uses metaphorical language of “undercurrents” and a “piece of glass” to contrast the “intense” Monk she knew in college with the detached Monk she meets while working on the film. This new emotional distance is a defense mechanism he develops due to their painful breakup, allowing the author to explore the themes of Learning to Trust after Trauma and Honesty as Key to Lasting Love.

“There are places on earth where the sun stays below the horizon for long periods of time. […] I imagine that when that extended night lifts, people are transfixed by the sun, like they’d forgotten its radiance. That’s how it feels when Monk is around. Like the last decade has been a long polar night, and the sun is finally shining. And even though it’s so bright it hurts your eyes, you still can’t look away because you know soon, it will be gone again.”

The author uses the extended metaphor of sunlight’s return after a polar night to communicate Verity’s lingering feelings for Monk and her dread that their lives will diverge again. Ryan’s diction through word choices like “transfixed,” “radiance,” and “bright” and the overall comparison between Monk and the sun emphasize his enormous important to her.

“While I’m in bed, staring up at my ceiling and recalling the intoxicating scent that hung around Monk tonight, sandalwood and sentiment. The jolt to my system when I’m around him; the shock of attraction—I can’t deny it’s still there. After all these years. So much has changed, but I’m beginning to accept that some things never do”

The alliterative description of Monk’s scent as “sandalwood and sentiment” combines olfactory imagery with emotional truth, emphasizing the chemistry Verity feels with him. The last sentence’s observation that “some things never” change highlights the couple’s intimate understanding of one another, signaling that they’re beginning to repair their relationship and offering hope for their future.

“I still want you more than any woman I’ve ever met. We have another four months or so on this film. It’s either iron out this mess between us and move on, or walk around hard as a rock for the immediate future, but this ain’t rainbows and picket fences and soulmate shit.”

In literature, polysyndeton refers to the stylistic addition of coordinating conjunctions where none are grammatically necessary. The repetition of “and” in the phrase “rainbows and picket fences and soulmate shit” uses the literary device to emphasize the contrast between romantic cliches and his and Verity’s complex lived experience. This illustrates how their breakup disillusioned him with romance and explains why he seeks a “no strings attached” arrangement to shield his emotions.

“His hands, moments ago concerned with making music, busy themselves playing me like a song he composed and I inspired. He kisses me like I’m his only muse, his touch roaming over my arms, legs, ass. Every part of me he can reach.”

The similes comparing Monk’s intimate touch to “playing a song” and Verity to his “only muse” use imagery about art to emphasize the couple’s chemistry and how they’re uniquely matched for each other. Their intense bond foreshadows that their purely physical arrangement will deepen into a romantic relationship.

“‘Happy New Year, Vee.’ I dip and close the gap between our mouths, and the kiss is hot and bright, rivaling the spray of light illuminating the night sky as the pyrotechnics explode in the distance.”

Through the adjectives “hot and bright,” Ryan uses diction to compare Monk and Verity’s passionate kiss to a fireworks display. The passage draws on the tradition of couples kissing at midnight on New Year’s Eve, and this setting creates atmosphere of hope for their relationship’s future.

“‘It’s called ‘Don’t Explain,’’ I continue, my eyes still locked with Verity’s. ‘Billie Holiday wrote it when she discovered her husband’s infidelity. When she found out he wasn’t who she thought he was.’”

The song title “Don’t Explain” takes on a double meaning as Monk uses a work meeting to publicly accuse Verity of cheating on him. Although he later regrets this passive-aggressive action, the scene demonstrates how music is his natural form of communication, particularly during emotionally difficult situations.

“He would have a front-row seat to my pain, my volatility, to that dark sink-hole that sucks me down. He’d witness that tornado that whirls me so fast and high my feet don’t touch the ground, and my head...spins. My world spins, and when I fall back down, who knows what havoc that storm will have wreaked?”

The author uses the dual metaphors of a “dark sink-hole” and a “tornado” that unleashes “havoc” to describe the depressive and manic aspects of bipolar disorder, respectively. By comparing these psychological states to natural disasters, the author underlines the destructive impact Verity feels her condition has on her life and relationships.

“The moment is so transparent I feel like I can see every one of her fears, her dreams, her worries, and I, in turn, want to show her all mine. It’s something old that is new again, but it’s also something we’ve never had before. Matured. Seasoned. Steady.”

This passage employs diction to explore the evolution of Monk and Verity’s relationship. The precise adjective “transparent” reflects the progress that each of the co-protagonists has made towards Learning to Trust after Trauma by this point of the novel. Additionally, the author’s decision to present the adjectives “Matured. Seasoned. Steady.” as fragments uses punctuation to slow the passage’s tempo in keeping with Monk’s understanding that they’ve reached a point in their relationship where there’s no need to rush.

“‘Don’t say that shit to me.’ She steps out of my hold and turns away. ‘Not when you have no idea what it’s like being the unreliable narrator in your own story. What it’s like not to trust your own mind. Afraid to even trust joy in case it teeters into mania. Afraid to express disappointment because people wonder if it’s the beginning of a depressive episode.’”

By invoking the term “unreliable narrator,” Verity, a writer, uses literary terminology to express the fear and self-doubt that come with her condition. The repetition of “Afraid” at the beginning of the last two fragments creates anaphora that reinforces the struggle of hypervigilantly monitoring her own emotions and others’ reactions.

“Love is patient. Love is kind... not self-seeking. Snatches of the verse from my childhood sift into my memory and anchor my resolve to give her time; to not only consider what I want, but what my girl needs. Love keeps no record of wrongs. Love doesn’t keep score.”

The sentences that begin with love are biblical allusions as well as examples of anaphora. These religious refences connect to Monk’s background as the son of a pastor and express how mending his relationship with Verity has restored his belief in love and faith.

“We don’t speak for a few minutes, and the silence is fine, filled with the music of a night in the country. Crickets complaining and cicadas singing in the distance.”

The descriptions of Verity and Monk’s “silence” and the “music” of the “cicadas singing” provide auditory imagery. The passage’s focus on nature creates a peaceful atmosphere that conveys how the protagonists are now at ease in their shared life two years after the conclusion of the main plot.

“It’s taken a lot, but I can finally understand him and this condition without letting either completely define me. I learned a lot witnessing my parents’ life, their love, their end, but I’m not him. I’m not them.”

The repetition of the words “I’m not” signal that Verity has found peace and self-knowledge by the end of the narrative. The excerpt offers important development for her characterization and the theme of Learning to Trust after Trauma by demonstrating that she no longer blames her father or herself for their mental illness.

“He’s staring back at me. And it’s like before, when we first came back into each other’s lives, and even looking at him felt dangerous. You stare at the sun, only to find it staring back at you. You bask in its heat.”

This passage echoes another earlier excerpt that uses metaphorical language to compare Monk to the sun. The return of the solar imagery helps to bring the story full circle, and Verity’s joyful resolve to “bask” in the “heat” signals that the couple have found their happy ending.