The Things We Do For Love

The climate of the Pacific Northwest is stereotypically rainy and overcast, especially in winter. These conditions reflect a combination of low atmospheric pressure and winds that sweep across the Pacific Ocean, gathering moisture to dump on the coast, though summers can be sunny and dry. The region’s climate factors into The Things We Do for Love, as the conditions often reflect the circumstances and emotional states of characters. For instance, as Lauren ponders how to tell David about the baby, the weather represents the adversity she faces: “[S]omewhere along the way it started to rain. She flipped her hood up and kept walking. The weather suited her mood” (181). The rain represents Lauren’s sense that no matter how hard she works, significant challenges stand in her way. However, just like summer inevitably arrives, there is hope for Lauren: After she has the baby and returns to Angie and Conlan, she harbors optimism for the future.

Another aspect of the Pacific Northwest that impacts the narrative is the decline of the timber and fishing industries. Due to overharvesting, environmental regulation, and competition, logging declined significantly in the 20th century. Later, the fishing industry followed suit, impacted by the 1990 Endangered Species Act that protected salmon threatened by overfishing, pollution, and habitat destruction.