Truly Madly Guilty

The day after the barbecue it begins to rain, and the rainy weather lasts for more than eight weeks. The rain functions as both a physical obstacle that increases the characters’ suffering and a metaphoric embodiment of the clouds of guilt and shame that hang above them. Sam, a character bogged down by emotional torment, can never remember an umbrella and is always coming to work and going home wet. The rain grates on all the characters, including the children: “‘When will it ever stop raining?’ asked Holly as she turned off her iPad with all the technological insouciance of a millennium kid. ‘It is actually driving me crazy’” (300). The rain interferes with Clementine’s gig at a wedding. The rain threatens their instruments, so the musicians pack up and go home. However, the happy marital couple doesn’t even notice that their quartet has left or care about the rain interfering with their plans. They are resilient and unaffected. Conversely, the guilt-stricken barbecue attendees feel oppressed by the constant rainfall. The relentless rain also makes a leak in Erika and Oliver’s house, which leads Oliver to the suitcase hiding Erika’s thefts. In this way, the rain forces the characters to confront the truth. It’s only when a few concrete steps are taken toward healing—Tiffany bringing Vid and Dakota over to see Ruby, and Erika and Oliver reconciling—that the rain finally stops.

The motif of sex and desire develops the themes of The Trials of Marriage and Parenthood: Responsibility and Guilt. Tiffany, the “bombshell,” and her charming husband, Vid, are the primary conduits for the barbecue attendees’ desires. In addition to offering their guests typical party accommodations—food, music, and alcohol—Tiffany and Vid knowingly wet their guests’ sexual appetites with sensual enticements. Although Tiffany and Vid’s intentions are playful, the relaxed, “anything goes” atmosphere becomes the scapegoat when Ruby’s accident occurs. As a result, the barbecue guests shame themselves for being “distracted” by their desires. The guests’ desires also highlight their own respective marital deficiencies; this is, in part, why they are quick to deflect the blame onto Tiffany and Vid.

The motif of secrets and lies develops the themes of friendship, marriage, and parenthood. Each character harbors a secret or perpetuates a lie, acts which consequently affect their relationships. The novel proposes that communication is an essential component of a healthy, happy relationship, whether platonic, romantic, or familial. After the barbecue, the characters must confront their personal guilt and shortcomings. To do so, they must unburden themselves of their secrets or own up to their lies.

Clementine reveals that she does not want to have another baby, while Sam shows the true depth of his internal suffering. Erika owns up to her petty theft and confesses that she would rather foster a child than have one of her own. In turn, Oliver shares his concerns about Erika’s misuse of prescription medication and alcohol. Tiffany admits that she funded her business with money she received for sex. In these examples, the characters expose their truths and subsequently allow for their relationships to strengthen.

Ironically, the biggest secret of the novel—that Holly pushed Ruby into the fountain—is not revealed to the barbecue attendees. Pam chooses to conceal her granddaughter’s secret instead of relieving the characters of their guilt. Although the characters blamed and shamed themselves for their “inattentiveness,” the truth is that the accident was beyond any of their control. Because little five-year-old Holly is responsible for the traumatic chain of events, the novel suggests that we cannot always ascribe responsibility when an accident occurs.