The story frames self-honesty as necessary for forgiveness, both from others and oneself. In reckoning with who they are and what they have done, the characters establish their willingness to learn from their mistakes while also finding ways to approach those mistakes with compassion, as a product of circumstance as much as choice.

Toby’s arc illustrates this most clearly, with his memory loss symbolically standing in for willful denial. For much of Parts 1 and 2, he cannot remember his past with any clarity but nevertheless struggles with feelings of guilt. That he refers to himself as “the villain of [his] life’s story” before learning almost anything about himself establishes how deeply his sense of guilt is entrenched (59). It thus becomes clear that no amount of avoidance regarding the fire that killed Kaylie will erase the turmoil Toby’s actions have caused him.

When Toby eventually remembers the truth, it sparks an emotional crisis, with Toby’s confession to Hannah demonstrating the difficulty of self-forgiveness: “She wants to believe that curses can be broken, and that broken, shattered boys can be redeemed. She wants me to be the hero of this story, and I cannot bear to tell her that I am, as I was from the beginning, the villain” (149). Yet Toby’s belief that he is unforgivable proves misguided; his very honesty signals to Hannah that he regrets his actions and wishes to change. Simultaneously, his confrontation with his past surfaces details like the abuse he experienced from his parents (e.g., locking him up when he was going through withdrawal). Without excusing his role in Kaylie’s death, such memories contextualize his actions, ultimately combining with Hannah’s forgiveness to help Toby forgive himself.

Hannah’s own journey toward honesty is subtler but equally transformative. She grapples with a sense of having neglected Kaylie, as well as with guilt regarding her relationship to her family and the ways she has hidden her true self in response. While the novel suggests that much of this guilt is misguided, her acknowledgment of it is still pivotal to her arc. In particular, self-forgiveness itself becomes a way of making amends, as it frees her to live the way Kaylie would have wanted: “I needed to dance. Every day. I needed to feel—the way Kaylie had always felt everything” (140). Accepting her feelings thus allows Hannah to embrace life beyond regret, reinforcing the novel’s message that confronting past actions and emotions directly creates a foundation for growth.