Tourist Season

“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.

“Nope. They’ve simply vanished. No evidence. No sign of them ever again. And it’s not like police want to dig too deep, you know? One murder and a serial killer who disappeared while visiting aren’t really great for the tourist industry. They might like the morbid vibes that come with the name, but they don’t want anyone to think it’s actually real.”

Sam Porter’s arrival in Cape Carnage alters the narrative stakes; he is an antagonist whose presence in Carnage disrupts Harper’s peace of mind. Sam is explaining to Nolan his reasons for investigating the town and its history—motivations that jeopardize Harper’s safety and her secrets. His interest in the town also establishes the symbolic significance of the setting—it becomes an extended metaphor that helps the novel’s investigation of the disparity between appearances and reality.

“The contrast of the beat-up leather against her bare legs and those ridiculous shorts has me shifting as another erection starts. I try to think my way out of that fucking biological response. She killed your brother, I tell myself. She almost killed you. She is absolutely not sexy.”

Nolan’s observations of Harper underscore his attraction to her despite his hatred of her. The narrative uses visual imagery as he notices her leather boots, “bare legs,” and “shorts.” His close study of Harper’s body and movements conveys his biological desire to be with her. This moment introduces the characters’ enemies-to-lovers dynamic. Despite Nolan’s determination to kill Harper, he cannot deny her “sex appeal,” setting up one of the plot’s basic conflicts.

“I should tell her I’m not a good man. And I don’t know if I’ve ever been one. Maybe the monster in me was always lurking in the shadows, waiting for the right moment to come into the light. And when Billy died, there was no reason to keep it caged anymore. With the first bite of revenge, all it wanted was more.”

Nolan’s internal monologue conveys his ongoing struggle to make sense of his identity. Since losing his brother, Nolan has chosen a life of anger, bitterness, violence, and crime. Getting to know Harper begins to change how he sees the past, his loss, and himself. He wants to come clean and own that he’s “not a good man,” a longing that conveys his authenticity and reflectiveness. He also likens his grief to a caged monster—a metaphor that underscores his intense emotions and provides insight into his protracted healing process.

“I know enough about Porter to know that he’s not just here to solve a mystery. He’s here for fame. And no one could give him a better story than me. If I let Sam Porter get too close to me, he’ll thrust me back into the spotlight and who knows what that bright light could uncover.”

Harper’s life in Cape Carnage is jeopardized by Sam Porter’s indefinite stay in town, in part because it forces her to confront her past, contributing to the novel’s theme of healing from past trauma together. Harper is reluctant to face her past, which is why she doesn’t want Sam to “get too close” to her. If her past comes out from where she has hidden it, it will be exposed to the “spotlight,” and Harper is unsure how she will cope and who she will be. She has tried to disassociate from and deny the experiences she underwent and the woman she once was; however, her avoidance has only intensified her pain and anxiety in the present.

“My self-imposed, years-long dry spell isn’t doing me any favors right now. It’s tempting to picture an alternative ending to our acrimonious story, maybe even a happy one, but the reality is he would kill me, that’s what he would do. One hundred percent chance of death.”

Harper’s first-person point of view narration reveals her interest in Nolan. Her thoughts about Nolan also contribute to the novel’s explorations of Navigating the Boundaries Between Love, Hatred, and Obsession. Harper is “tempted” by Nolan. Her attraction to him makes her imagine a “happy” future with him. At the same time, their relationship is “acrimonious” and volatile. Harper is still trying to reconcile with these competing feelings and to make sense of her and Nolan’s relationship.

“I hated those first days after I’d escaped from that hell house too, when I was sucked into the whirlwind of police and lawyers and reporters. When I was forced to face my vulnerabilities. The truth is, I didn’t feel like a survivor, I felt like a failure. I wanted to be like the woman who’d been thrown into that cellar with me the day Adam died. […] Sloane Sutherland. She wasn’t just a survivor, she was a warrior.”

Harper’s flashback to her life before Cape Carnage provides insight into her traumatic past, contributing to the novel’s exploration of the importance of resolving the past in self-reinvention. Harper is reflecting on her kidnapping, Adam’s murder, and her escape. Despite the years that have passed since these experiences, Harper still does not “feel like a survivor”; instead, she has tried to reinvent herself in Sloane Sutherland’s image to override her fragile past self. Over the course of the novel, Harper will come to realize the importance of dealing with her past in order to experience growth and healing.

“It must be Harper and her parents. There’s an ease in her smile, a lightness to it that just doesn’t exist in the version of her that stands in the kitchen. The woman I know is forged by destruction. Maybe that’s the only way to survive this world. To become the destroyer.”

The picture Nolan sees of Harper and her parents in Harper’s cottage helps Nolan to see another side of his new lover. In the photo, Harper is smiling and carries herself with “ease” and “lightness.” The image represents the old version of Harper, which contrasts sharply with her destructive presence in the present. The disparity between these two versions of Harper underscores her desperation to eradicate her former, wounded self and adopt a steely, unaffected identity.

“I definitely should not place a kiss to her cheek. But I’m as powerless as the sea is against the moon. I’m caught in the gravitational force of her despite the dark chasm that spans between us. I lay my lips to her skin so gently that she doesn’t stir, doesn’t wake. But when I pull away, Harper glows.”

Nolan’s use of figurative language in this postcoital scene affects a romantic and passionate mood. Nolan says he is “as powerless as the sea is against the moon,” an analogy that underscores Harper’s emotional control over him. He also uses language like “gravitational force,” “dark chasm,” and “glows” to convey his deep feelings for Harper. This descriptive passage marks a turning point in the couple’s enemies-to-lovers romance.

“Guys like Porter show up every few years, searching for something they think they’re going to find. Some truth behind the urban legends, maybe. But they don’t uncover anything, because there’s no old, hidden secret to find here. Every small town has something dark in its past if you look back far enough, just like Cape Carnage. That doesn’t mean there’s a murderer lurking around every corner.”

Sheriff Yates’s assessment of Sam’s Cape Carnage sleuthing foreshadows coming revelations about Yates’s true identity. At this juncture of the novel, Yates is determined to cover his crimes and conceal the fact that he is La Plume. He acts as if anyone who shows interest in Carnage’s history—including Sam and Nolan—is no cause for concern because he is determined to quiet their suspicions. This scene of dialogue also complicates Nolan’s understanding of Carnage culture and speaks to the town’s symbolic significance as a metaphor that illustrates the gap between appearance and reality.

“I wonder what would happen if I broke into Nolan’s room and waited in my lingerie for him to return. Would he turn and walk away? Or would he pin me to the bed and fuck me so hard I see stars? What if I brought my Lelo Enigma dual vibrator? What if—‘Oh my fucking God. Get it together, bitch.’”

Harper’s daydreaming in this passage underscores her intense interest in Nolan, emphasized by her series of questions about what might happen. She is standing outside of Nolan’s room at the inn and fantasizing about an impromptu sexual encounter with him. These fantasies reveal her heart’s true desires, despite her external declarations that she and Nolan are sworn enemies. The passage also affects a humorous tone, which adds levity to the often-gruesome narrative.

“All her attention is homed in on that man. There’s more than just hatred, or anger, or determination in her face. There’s a very particular brand of fury. One I’ve seen in my own eyes. The kind that only blooms when the world peels back and you see the abyss of grief and loss and anguish that lurks beneath it.”

Nolan recognizes something of himself in Harper when he watches her kill a man. Noting this resemblance between their experiences intensifies Nolan’s attraction to Harper. He is interested in her because she is beautiful and magnetic, but he is also drawn to her dark past and complicated emotional experience. Further, the figurative language in this passage underscores the intensity of Harper’s and Nolan’s trauma. Specific diction like “fury,” “blooms,” “peels,” “abyss,” “anguish,” and “lurks” intensifies the emotional underpinning of the passage.

“So on this warm, clear evening, I soak in the details of my town on a leisurely stroll instead. From the ornate wooden scrollwork on the peaked roofs of houses to the hanging baskets I take care of every summer, Cape Carnage is a place I finally feel at home. It looks after me. And I look after it, just the way Arthur taught me.”

Harper’s first-person description of the Cape Carnage setting reiterates her attachment to the town, a connection she presents as give-and-take through her personification of the town as “look[ing] after her.” Her use of descriptive details and figurative language affects a warmhearted tone and peaceful atmosphere. Diction like “warm,” “clear,” “leisurely,” “ornate,” and “home” conveys Harper’s positive feelings toward the place; the town has offered her safety, stability, and a sense of belonging.

“How do I keep my past out of this place? How do I stay hidden on the other side of the curtain when someone is gripping the rope, ready to pull back the darkness and force me into the light? What more will everyone be able to see if he thrusts me onto that stage?”

Harper’s internal monologue contributes to both the novel’s themes of the importance of resolving the past in self-reinvention and healing from past trauma together. Harper is terrified of confronting her past because she does not want it to destroy the illusion of stability and newness she has found in Carnage. The image of someone waiting to pull the curtain on the stage and thrust her into the spotlight evokes notions of a theatrical performance; this metaphor implies that Harper has been acting out her self-reinvention, and she is desperate to keep people from perceiving the mask and costume she’s hiding behind.

“It might not be delivered as a promise, but I want to believe that. I want to trust him in this too. And if I could just tell him the truth, that I’m not who he thinks I am, maybe everything would be easier. I know I’m no saint, not after the things I’ve done. Not after I left him for dead. Even still, I wonder if he could forgive me for that if I were honest.”

Harper’s internal conflict over Nolan furthers the novel’s theme of navigating the boundaries between love, hatred, and obsession. She still wants to protect herself and stave off her traumatic past, but her relationship with Nolan has begun to change how she perceives herself. She is learning from Nolan that honesty, openness, and authenticity might free her from her internal turmoil; at the same time, she worries that love might not overcome her “sins.”

“It’s not the way he worships my clit, or slides his fingers in my pussy, or even drags the knife over my thigh that breaks me apart. It’s the realization that Nolan understands me in a way no one else can. And he’s taking care of me in a way that no one else ever will. He chases every second of my orgasm like he can see my epiphany unfurling like a night-blooming flower.”

This explicit sex scene contributes to Harper and Nolan’s evolving enemies-to-lovers relationship. Harper is overwhelmed by Nolan’s attentiveness in bed, but she is even more moved by Nolan’s interest in and devotion to her as an individual. She is beginning to see Nolan as her equal, her partner, and her support system. The details used in this passage also convey the important role sex plays in their relationship; the lovers are playing out their enmity in the bedroom, while musing on their profound love for and connection to each other beyond the bedroom.

“But Harper gives up nothing of the person she was just before she came to Cape Carnage. I came here thinking I needed every detail about the night she crashed into my life so I could find some kind of peace, but I’m starting to think that’s not what I want anymore. The woman I really want to know is the one sitting a candle away.”

Nolan’s musings on his and Harper’s relationship convey how his character is changing. At the start of his and Harper’s relationship, Nolan was desperate for answers, determined to make sense of who Harper really was and why. In this scene, Nolan reconciles with Harper’s inconsistencies and mysteries. He is accepting her for who she is, resolving part of his character arc with the resolution of his conflict between Harper’s past and the woman “a candle away.”

“And there’s only one word that escapes me when I hit the water. A name. One that surprises me almost as much as the impact that steals my breath. […] It’s the one clear thought I have as I reach toward the surface even though there’s nothing to grab, the metal that encases me dragging me down, the last of the ribbons swirling in the current above me as I fall into the abyss. Nolan.”

Harper’s instinctual decision to call Nolan’s name when she crashes her soapbox car into the water conveys her love for him. She has just been in a traumatic accident, the intensity of which is expressed through Harper’s use of fragmentation and run-on elliptical sentences. Harper calls out to the one person she knows she can trust to save her.

“When I pull away and look down at her face, it’s as though everything I thought I’d come here for has been stripped away, leaving only one truth behind. One I’m not ready to put into the world. But one that consumes me nonetheless. I’m in love with the woman I came here to kill.”

Nolan’s private revelation about his feelings for Harper marks a turning point in the narrative and the lovers’ enemies-to-lovers romance. Nolan has been interested in Harper ever since the two met at the coffee shop when he first arrived in Cape Carnage. However, it is not until this scene that Nolan is able to confront and own his true feelings for Harper. The moment underscores the novel’s theme of navigating the boundaries between love, hatred, and obsession, as Nolan reconciles with this unavoidable fact.

“It feels like I can take a risk and trust you with all the worst versions of myself without scaring you away. Like even when I want to fight against you, I’m still fighting with you, because I know you’re still on my side. Like I can let you in at my own pace, even though I’m afraid.”

Harper uses direct and heartfelt language to communicate her feelings to Nolan. She is opening up to her lover in new ways, and her words communicate her willingness to trust him because she knows that he is “on [her] side.” She acknowledges their simultaneous rivalry and camaraderie—dichotomous dynamics which have, in effect, drawn them together.

“I weep, for the first time in a long, long time. And as the weight of the backpack and the secrets it carries shift over my spine, I think maybe he’s right. Maybe I don’t have to brave them all alone anymore.”

Harper’s teary episode marks a turning point in her journey toward healing from past trauma, which she is only able to do with Nolan’s help, underscoring the theme of healing from past trauma together. Harper has actively resisted facing her painful past for the past four years, but after descending into and emerging from Arthur’s dank cellar, she experiences an internal change. She has taken the first step toward confronting her trauma and moving beyond it. This is the first time she has expressed her emotions openly, and the first time she’s acknowledged that it’s okay to ask for help.

“I don’t tell her, but I want to do this every day. Not just fuck her until she’s boneless and trembling against me. It’s everything else too. Taking care of her afterward. Reheating our cooling pasta. Sitting across from each other. Talking. Learning the things she likes. Things she worries about. I find myself wondering how I could take some of the other burdens she carries now that there are only four bodies left to find.”

Nolan’s postcoital reflections on his and Harper’s future as a couple reiterate his investment in their enemies-to-lovers relationship. He uses short, fragmented sentences that affect a direct and insistent tone and specific examples that build a picture of the everyday nature of the time they spent together. He is certain of what he wants and can identify and list these desires to himself in a clear and concise way. His hopes for his and Harper’s future also affect a comforting, domestic mood; the allusions to food and cuddling conjure images of a peaceful home life.

“But maybe I’m just ready to leave that behind for the other memories that are starting to eclipse it. Anger served a purpose for me in the beginning. But in the end, it was a cage. And guilt is an equally vicious prison, one Harper is clearly still trapped in. For the first time, I wonder if I can help her escape it when I had a hand in putting her there.”

Nolan’s reflections on his brother Billy’s death contribute to his character arc of putting his past trauma behind him. For the past four years, Nolan has let his “anger” and “guilt” control him, but by this juncture of the novel, Nolan is ready to let go of his bitterness and shame to make room for more positive emotions. He shows his emotional growth through his new understanding of his and Harper’s motivations and his hope that he can encourage Harper along the same positive journey forward.