“Oliver struggled with the why. Struggles—present tense. Can’t blame him; it’s a really normal thing to struggle with. He looked for the answer at the bottom of bottles and in the beds of men old enough to be our father. That was probably our biggest divergence. He tried to smother the memories of our childhood. I tried to pull them apart.”

Georgia’s internal monologue as she prepares to contact Oliver about Will’s death reveals the complexity of her and Oliver’s familial relationships. She and Oliver have both been treated as outsiders by their parents and siblings, but their coping mechanisms over the years since haven’t always aligned. Whereas Oliver sought to escape his trauma via drinking and sex, Georgia has relied on psychological analysis to make sense of her trauma. The siblings’ divergent modes of operating will dictate much of Georgia and Oliver’s relationship in the present, and challenge them to confront their unhealthy dynamics anew.

“Those first few years after they sent me away, I got real good at staring what happened in the eye. And then the rest of it I knew I was avoiding, but the farther away from it I was, the easier it was to ignore. But that’s not how pain works…You ignore it and it just sinks down deeper.”

Georgia’s return home to Okatie, South Carolina, highlights the challenges of Confronting Personal Trauma and the Past. Okatie symbolizes Georgia’s childhood past, and acts as a physical tie to all of the pain she suffered there. When she comes back, she discovers that her pain hasn’t entirely gone away; she’s just pushed it “down deeper” inside of herself. This passage compels her to begin acknowledging her lingering hurt so that she can grow beyond it.

“My sister is anxious. My sister is always something…Controlling, mostly, but around me, a heightened sense of anxiety tends to creep into her. It’s because of what happened. She’s just waiting for me to fracture her perfectly constructed world all over again.”

Georgia’s allusion to her and Maryanne’s fraught history infuses the narrative with tension and mystery. Georgia implies that there’s a secret between her and Maryanne. This secret makes Maryanne “anxious” and “controlling,” and has also created conflict between her and Georgia throughout their lives. Georgia’s belief that exposing this secret could “fracture Maryanne’s perfectly constructed world” foreshadows Georgia’s decision to reveal the truth of Beckett’s sexual abuse in the coming chapters.

“I drop my eyes to my plate. A pile of food I’ve barely eaten, just shoveled around with the good forks, reserved strictly for the best company, the queen, and dinner parties for when Dad’s died, apparently. And do you know what, my eyes are glued to the table, my breath is tucked in under my chest, and I’m still as a stone, because it’s not true. My mom’s telling the only story she knows. Maryanne’s telling a lie.”

Georgia’s physiological response to Maryanne and Margaret’s emotional abuse points to the trauma she suffered as a child. She “drops her eyes” to her plate,” keeps her gaze “glued to the table,” holds her breath, and stays as “still as a stone.” Her body is reacting as if she is in danger; she is shutting down because she feels afraid and ashamed. These are emotions and responses she learned when she was a child. They resurface in the present because she has returned to the site of her trauma.

“And I get that same feeling when I’m near Sam Penny. Other feelings too, like this buzzy electricity. And it’s there, all thick in the air, us trying to learn about the other. It feels like we’re cramming for an exam, studying like maniacs the night before a test on a subject we’ve half-listened to all year. The content isn’t unfamiliar when you read it; it’s like you’ve read it before. Sam feels like I’ve read him before, but I haven’t.”

Georgia’s use of figurative language enacts her intense feelings for Sam Penny. She uses language like “buzzy” and “electricity” to capture the energy between her and Sam. She also compares this energy to the feeling of “cramming for an exam,” “studying like maniacs,” and delving into “a subject” she doesn’t know about. These metaphors evoke notions of excitement, anticipation, and discovery—all of which she is experiencing as she and Sam get to know each other.

“How he’s looking at me, the worry that’s written all over his body…the head tilt, the downturned mouth, the low brows drawn together—he is genuinely sad for me, and it’s possible I’ve waited my whole life for someone to give a shit like he seems to, but nothing makes sense because I’m a fuck-up no one wants and he’s an alcoholic and my dad is dead somewhere in a cold room, and something about that makes me feel sick.”

Georgia’s internal monologue about Sam reveals a new facet of her character. Georgia is a self-possessed person with an interrogative mind. However, the things she appreciates about Sam reveal that Georgia has always longed for love and acceptance, too. She is indeed smart, independent, and capable, but she wants someone to care about her and invest in her experience. In this passage, she is trying to reconcile her and Sam’s fraught pasts in light of their intense feelings for each other and her concurrent desire for authentic emotional connection.

“‘I’m angry at you. And I didn’t like you very much. Not often, anyway.’ I pause. ‘I don’t know whether you’ve gotten worse in my mind with the distance and over time or if you were just kind of always shitty? I really—I don’t know. I hated you for how you dealt with Oliver’s sexuality. I hated you for how you let others treat him because of it.”

Georgia’s ability to articulate her feelings in this scene marks an important step on her journey toward Confronting Personal Trauma and the Past. At the graveyard, Sam urges Georgia to talk to Will and tell him how she feels. This is the first time that Georgia puts her complicated emotions surrounding her father into words. In doing so, she is claiming her experience and owning her emotions—however fraught they might be.

“Telling [Oliver] about Becks—it was too late and it was too far in and it had happened so many times by then. I was too confused by what it meant that I looked at him for help and why he looked angry when someone hurt me, and what it meant that he tried to stop it when someone was hurting me.”

Georgia’s internal monologue has a harried tone that captures the complexity of her emotional experiences in both the past and present. Georgia wishes that she could have opened up to Oliver about what happened with Beckett, but she also knows that she was “too confused” and too afraid to do so. In this moment, she reckons with both her past trauma and The Intersection of Love and Loyalty. To Georgia, loving and being loyal to Oliver has always meant protecting him from truths that might hurt him—even if it means hiding her own pain.

“It took me a long time to realize that something doesn’t have to always feel wrong to be wrong. It doesn’t even have to be violent to be wrong. But I was fourteen, and he’d kiss me and I wouldn’t kiss him back, and he’d push me down on a bed and climb on top of me, and he would touch all of me, and I’d be stiff as a board, and he never stopped.”

Georgia’s flashback to her childhood trauma captures her work to make sense of and grow beyond her past. She is holding two dichotomous truths at once: that she was a victim and that she blamed herself for Beckett’s abuse. Georgia’s willingness to recall and confront what she suffered years prior conveys her desire to grow and change. She doesn’t want Beckett’s abuse to continue controlling her psyche; to break this cycle, she knows she must examine what happened.

“When Tennyson got up, I felt nervous. I’m not sure why. Maybe because I see threads of me liking him more than I used to, and I don’t want him to be sad. And maybe I don’t want my reasons for liking him to lessen again, and I was worried they were about to. Nothing dries a wedge between siblings like unbridled favoritism.”

Georgia’s regard for her brother Tennyson nuances the novel’s explorations of the Complexities of Familial Relationships. Throughout her life, Georgia has never seen Tennyson as a confidante. In the present, however, her understanding of her brother is evolving. She realizes that their parents’ “unbridled favoritism” wasn’t Tennyson’s fault and sees an opportunity for her and Tennyson to reconcile. Her ability to feel sad on Tennyson’s behalf and to acknowledge her desire to heal their dynamic underscores Georgia’s strength of character.

“Silence with him is five fifteen in the morning before the sun’s up and it’s still dark but the birds are singing. He’s the heavy quilt you pull over your head when it’s too cold and too early to wake up. He’s the song no parent ever loved me enough to sing. He’s the way water runs and bubbles over stones in a stream.”

Georgia uses figurative language, vivid imagery, and metaphors to convey her deep affection for Sam. In this scene, Georgia wants to be alone but discovers that Sam’s quiet presence is more comforting than intrusive. She compares him to being awake “before the sun’s up” and listening to the birds in the dark, to a “heavy quilt” you can wrap around yourself in the cold, to parental love, and to water running “over stones in a stream.” These metaphors evoke notions of peacefulness—which conveys Sam’s stabilizing, calming presence.

“I like how the body betrays you like that, that it wants the truth to come out no matter what. I like the truth, and I hate that I’m lying to my brother, but I don’t know what the answer is. I just know that wasn’t it.”

Georgia’s internal monologue regarding her relationships with Sam and Oliver conveys the complications that arise from The Intersection of Love and Loyalty. Georgia loves Oliver and has always prioritized their relationship over all else. In this moment, however, she is lying to Oliver about her relationship with Sam; she wants to protect Oliver from the truth but also knows that her secret could hurt him. She is vacillating between competing truths as she tries to navigate her evolving understanding of intimacy.

“Sam is solemn. Very much so. I get the distinct feeling that making light of anything that’s caused me pain will never roll over well with him. But laughing at things that hurt you, almost no matter how you slice it from a psychological standpoint, is usually positive. It’s often considered a coping mechanism, or in my case, a sign of psychological recovery.”

Georgia’s self-reflective tone conveys her investment in her personal growth. Sam doesn’t laugh when she “makes light of what’s caused her pain.” However, Georgia holds that her use of humor is evidence of her “psychological recovery.” She claims her own experience and coping mechanisms. She loves Sam but she doesn’t let him dictate how her growth and healing look to her.

“So I love him, I know I do, and I know that that’s insane, but nothing is more insane than the part where I think he might love me back.”

Georgia’s private acknowledgment of her feelings for Sam marks a turning point in her journey. Georgia knows that her love for Sam might seem “insane,” but she doesn’t let this insecurity compromise her investment in Sam. At the same time, the complex construction of this sentence enacts the intensity of her feelings. She doesn’t present this revelation in a series of neat, simple sentences. The harried syntax used in this moment captures her sudden outpouring of affection for her new lover.

“My parents’ previous perception of me afforded me an acceptable explanation for why they loved me less than the other two, but without it now, they love me less for me. Not because they think I did something slutty, not because they disapprove of the person they think I am—they love me less for the innate and the unchangeable, and that is a truth I’ve hidden from for the last ten years.”

Revealing the truth about Beckett’s abuse to her family complicates Georgia’s work to confront her trauma and grow beyond her past. In this moment, she is starting to come to terms with what the truth says about her as a person and how her parents have historically regarded her. While Maryanne’s lie was painful, it also protected Georgia from the fact that her parents mistreated her simply because they didn’t like her. This is the first time Georgia is acknowledging this aspect of her experience.

“You’ve had relationships with other people in these last nine years. You’ve been committed to them. You love your sister and your niece. Your dedication to the well-being of my brother is unparalleled. […] You’re capable of having affections for people and being committed to them in an appropriate measure.”

Georgia uses a direct tone in this scene of dialogue with Sam to communicate her beliefs in a clear way. She tells Sam how she sees him and encourages him to acknowledge his own strengths. She uses declarative language because she wants Sam to believe in himself. This moment marks a turning point in her and Sam’s relationship; they are simultaneously acknowledging their struggles and their burgeoning love for each other.

“The nicest thing you can ever do for another human being is see them, and really see them, at that. To be understood is one of the most base desires we as people have, and it was one that Oliver wasn’t only deprived of, but often quite deliberately denied. All our lives he wanted our dad to see him and to care what he saw, and I think just now my brother got a glimpse that our dad did.”

Georgia’s reflections on Oliver’s fraught relationship with Will underscore her abiding love for her brother. Georgia is undergoing a series of internal conflicts and changes herself, but she always creates space for Oliver’s experience amidst her own. She is acknowledging how much hurt Oliver has experienced, while also expressing hope that Oliver might come around to seeing their father differently. The passage reiterates the Complexities of Familial Relationships.

“I don’t know what it says about me that one conversation with Sam undoes my resolve regarding Oliver. Sorry, that’s a lie—I know exactly what it means. Sam’s usurped Oliver’s position of importance in my life, and I can’t tell whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing. Maybe both, but it’s definitely and absolutely terrifying, all the while being a commentary on the irrelevance of time in love.”

Georgia’s internal monologue about her seemingly competing relationships with Sam and Oliver furthers the novel’s explorations of The Intersection of Love and Loyalty. Georgia fears that she is betraying Oliver by being with Sam. She also worries that Sam’s decision to be with her will make Oliver feel betrayed by his AA sponsor and closest friend. Georgia is still trying to work out these complicated dynamics. Her use of diction like “good,” “bad,” “definitely,” and “maybe” captures her conflicted feelings.

“And upon second glance, nothing about his home suggests that what he’s saying—admittedly, he’s not said all that much—is actually true. Now, in the spirit of full disclosure, there’s also nothing in his home that implicitly implies he’s beyond-a-shadow-of-a-doubt lying either, but the truth is we leave the clues of us everywhere, in ways we know and in ways we don’t.”

Georgia’s scrutiny of Alexis’s house highlights her desire to make sense of Alexis’s identity and relationship to Will. She is studying his home for clues to the past. She acknowledges that the space doesn’t inherently reveal that he’s lying, but she also holds that the individual’s home can provide insight into their authentic identity. The passage conveys Georgia’s intuitive nature.

“‘We were right,’ I tell Tennyson. ‘Alexis Beauchêne and Dad were having an affair.’ I look back at Oliver as I point to our father’s lover on the porch. ‘And that man is Alexis Beauchêne.’”

Georgia’s announcement about Will and Alexis’s relationship marks the climax of the novel. When the Carter siblings discover the truth about Will’s sexuality and his affair with Alexis, they’re confronted with a new version of reality. Georgia’s discovery challenges them to reexamine who their father was, what he wanted, and how he saw them.

“We weren’t discovered in the secret bathrooms no one knows about; we were in the restroom of a busy restaurant with my brothers a few meters away. And in no way did I consciously want Oliver to find us or see what he saw, but our subconscious is the real boss. Our conscious actions might be the ship we’re sailing, but our subconscious is the rudder that steers it.”

After Oliver discovers Georgia and Sam having sex in the restaurant bathroom, Georgia is compelled into a bout of self-reflection. Although she wants to be with Sam, she acknowledges her tactlessness in this situation. She also admits that her subconscious had taken over from her conscious, logical mind and was dictating her actions. The passage reiterates Georgia’s willingness to be honest with herself and to take ownership of her mistakes so that she can change.

“‘I recognize your pain,’ Alexis says […] ‘And I do not pretend to understand it, and you are entitled to it, Georgia.’ He says my name to make sure I’m listening, but I already am, because truthfully he’s quite compelling. ‘But for whatever it is worth to you, and I hope it’s worth something—I know he wanted more for you. He just didn’t know how to give it or be it.’”

Alexis’s character offers Georgia a new perspective on her father and herself. Although Georgia doesn’t know about Alexis until the narrative present, he possesses valuable insight into Georgia’s past. He knew Will in a way no one else did and invites Georgia into this understanding. Alexis also speaks in a way that makes him “quite compelling.” He endears himself to Georgia by using her name and acknowledging her pain, while simultaneously challenging her to reexamine her past.

“‘I wasn’t ever yours, dude. I know you know that. Not in that way. Not how I’m hearse now.’ Sam shrugs helplessly. ‘And I know you’re upset, and I know this is hard for you and you’re not doing good right now, and I want you to be good and healthy and okay, but if you talk to her like that again, Oliver—mate, we’re going to have a problem.’”

The way Sam addresses Oliver in this scene shows his active work to navigate The Intersection of Love and Loyalty. Sam cares deeply for Oliver (both as his AA sponsor and as his friend), but he’s also developed deep feelings for Georgia. In this scene of dialogue, he is expressing his feelings for both Oliver and Georgia so they can all have healthier relationships. Because he and Georgia are now together, Sam feels loyal to her and responsible for defending her. While his words force Oliver to face a painful truth, Sam’s honesty also ushers Oliver toward change and renewal.