Tourist Season

“Maybe once upon a time, I would have felt remorse. But I left that person behind when I came to Cape Carnage four years ago. When I started a new life. When I promised to keep my past hidden and protect this sanctuary of secrets. And I’m not about to let anyone like Bryce Fucking Mahoney ruin my town.”

Harper Starling’s attempts to protect herself relate to the novel’s theme of The Importance of Resolving the Past for Self-Reinvention. Harper genuinely loves life in Cape Carnage, but she is most attached to the town because it shields her from her dark past. In this opening scene of the novel, Harper shoves the body of her most recent victim, Bryce Mahoney, into her wood chipper—a gruesome image which introduces Harper’s violent nature and desperation to protect her secrets.

“Most people will probably tell you that you need to find light in the darkness to recover from the kind of suffering I endured. They expected me to embrace positive ideals that would keep me moving forward after my life-altering accident. Like acceptance of things I couldn’t change. Liberation from hurt and anger. Catharsis. Forgiveness. But the idea of forgiving anyone was repulsive.”

Nolan Rhodes’s unwillingness to face his pain introduces the novel’s thematic explorations of Healing From Past Trauma Together. Four years have passed since Nolan was injured in the hit-and-run accident that claimed his brother Billy Rhodes’s life. However, the passage of time has not alleviated Nolan’s emotional wounds because he has actively resisted “light,” “positive ideals,” “acceptance,” catharsis,” and “forgiveness.” He has stunted his own healing process by ignoring his suffering, and his character arc over the course of the story will involve healing from his trauma, with Harper’s help.